MANCHESTER UNITED have suffered a major blow in their bid to get rid of Jadon Sancho for good, according to reports.
The 23-year-old England striker returned on loan to Borussia Dortmund a month after a public dispute with Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag.
He took charge during his time with the Bundesliga giants, scoring two goals in his first three appearances.
But there is no option to buy clause in the loan deal – and Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has now cast serious doubt over their ability to agree a permanent transfer with Man Utd.
The Dortmund boss spoke about Sancho and Chelsea player Ian Maatsen, who also arrived on loan in the January window, when he admitted that keeping Man Utd beyond the summer seemed unlikely.
Speaking to Sky Germany, he said: “Unfortunately for both players, neither option was realistic.
“If you know what they gave us for Jadon Sancho two-and-a-half years ago, then you also know that it can be very, very complicated now.
“Of course, we discussed with him, as well as with Ian, an option, but the negotiating position is not such that we can implement it, so we will settle for it for the time being. “
Sancho joined Man Utd from Dortmund in 2021 for a whopping £73m.
But he contributed 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances for the Premier League giants.
In September, Ten Hag sent Sancho off his team for the 3-1 loss to Arsenal, citing his performances in education as the explanation for the decision.
The Manchester United winger responded by claiming he had a “scapegoat”, before being expelled from the first team.
And he has not apologised to Ten Hag for the outburst, meaning their relationship remains broken.
Sancho hadn’t played a single minute for four months before returning to Dortmund.
But it took him just 22 minutes to provide an assist on his second debut.
And Man Utd are hoping for a positive return with Dortmund due to their reputation and price in the moving market ahead of the summer window.
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