Manchester United are not giving up on signing Jadon Sancho, though they have reportedly become ‘frustrated’ with both the winger’s wage demands and Borussia Dortmund’s tactics.
The German club set a deadline of Monday for United to agree a fee, which they failed to do, so Sancho joined the rest of his Dortmund teammates and flew to Bad Ragaz in Switzerland to begin their pre-season training camp.
Speaking after they touched down, BVB sporting director Michael Zorc said United’s failure to meet the deadline meant Sancho would not be transferring this summer – and had even secretly signed a contract extension.
‘We plan on having Jadon Sancho in our team this season,’ Zorc told reporters at the team’s training camp on Monday afternoon. ‘The decision is final. I think that answers all of the questions.
He added: ‘Last summer, we adjusted Jadon’s salary to match the development of his performances. So in context, we had already extended his contract until 2023 back then.’
United thought the only stumbling block to a deal would be agreeing a fee – and payment structure – with Dortmund, but now The Sun claim personal terms are also proving difficult.
The Red Devils have offered an incentivised deal worth £220,000-a-week, but Sancho’s camp are pushing for closer to £250,000-a-week which is proving to be a sticking point.
On top of that, United’s decision-makers are also ‘unhappy’ with the agents’ fee being demanded by Sancho’s representatives, which will put the total outlay far beyond the £108m transfer fee Dortmund are demanding.
In addition to their problems agreeing a contract with Sancho, United are also exasperated with Dortmund’s negotiating tactics.
As well as the very early deadline they were set, United are not impressed with Dortmund’s refusal to deal directly with them, instead appointing a third party agent to sort out the details of the fee.
Despite BVB’s firm stance and Sancho’s wage demands, United are still determined to try and get the deal over the line but the saga could drag on throughout the summer.
MORE: Dortmund troll Manchester United over Jadon Sancho transfer during FC Copenhagen clash
MORE: Jadon Sancho will join Manchester United in a ‘pretty short’ time, claims Owen Hargreaves
Follow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
