Sancho was initially one of the first in Manchester United's "Five Rats" to approach leaving the club. He was very close to completing a transfer to Juventus, but then there was no further news. Now, the 25-year-old English winger still has several potential suitors, with at least five teams interested. However, Sancho demands adequate guarantees for his treatment; otherwise, he will remain with the Red Devils.
In the summer of 2021, Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for a transfer fee of £73 million, initially carrying high expectations, but it turned into a nightmare. In 173 matches for Dortmund, Sancho scored 50 goals and provided 57 assists; however, at Manchester United, his stats dropped to 12 goals and 6 assists in 83 matches.
Sancho also had a complete fallout with former Manchester United manager Ten Hag. He was subsequently loaned to Dortmund and Chelsea, performing reasonably well, but neither resulted in a permanent transfer. Chelsea paid £5 million in compensation, bringing him back to Old Trafford.
Sancho's contract with Manchester United will expire at the end of this season, and he is not part of the current coach Ruben Amorim's plans. Rumors about Sancho's transfer have been relentless; besides Juventus and Dortmund, several clubs have been reported to be in contact with him this week, including Serie A's Roma and Inter Milan, as well as Turkey's Besiktas.
It is well known that Juventus has been linked with Sancho for the longest time. Reports indicate that "The Old Lady" has reached an agreement with Sancho on personal terms, but needs to sell players before finalizing the deal. Dortmund is also considering a third attempt to sign Sancho, but has yet to make any formal offers. Roma has contacted Manchester United to inquire about the transfer conditions. Inter sees Sancho as a Plan B; their first choice is Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.
Besiktas is the most eager to sign Sancho, with millions of fans urging him to join their team on social media. Club president Serdar Adalı has also expressed sincere interest, publicly stating his desire to sign Sancho from Manchester United. Former Manchester United manager Solskjær is currently coaching Besiktas, and he was the one who pushed for Sancho's signing back in the day.
Adalı told the Turkish Daily News, "The fans want him, and I want him too. But what matters is not just our willingness, but whether the player is willing to come to Turkey. We have a budget and will do our utmost to bring him here. Players like Sancho usually prefer clubs that participate in the Champions League. It's hard to say if it can happen this summer, but if possible, we will sign him. Besiktas fans can rest assured."
However, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that Sancho currently has no intention of playing in the Turkish league. "Besiktas is very eager to sign Sancho, but my understanding is that he does not want to go to Turkey at least for now. If by September 1st Sancho has not finalized a transfer agreement and the transfer market is still open, there might be other possibilities. However, for now, he is not considering a move to Turkey. He prefers to continue waiting, and there are already Italian clubs in contact with him. Sancho's future will be another significant topic in the last days of the summer transfer window."
Sancho is the only player in Manchester United's Carrington first-team new building without a jersey number, indicating that the club expects him to leave. However, Premier League transfer expert Graham Bailey stated that Sancho's agent informed the club that he is willing to wait until January, when he can freely negotiate with any potential suitors. Sancho is seeking the treatment he desires and a transfer opportunity that suits him.
Bailey stated, "Sancho has made it clear that he will only transfer on his terms. We saw him refuse a pay cut to join Chelsea, a club he has supported since childhood, and he missed out on Napoli for similar reasons. Juventus feels they are very close; once Nico Gonzalez is sold, the deal is likely to be completed. But Manchester United will also have to pay a price, whether through a loan or a permanent transfer. Dortmund is also in talks with Sancho. If he transfers to the Bundesliga, Manchester United will still have to pay a price. Currently, Manchester United has lowered their asking price but is unwilling to provide him with a massive subsidy. The information we have is that Sancho has clearly told Manchester United that unless he gets the contract he wants, he is prepared to sit in the stands (sit and not play) until January or even later to leave."
This will give Sir Jim Ratcliffe a headache, as Sancho is someone who "doesn't fear the heat." After his fallout with Ten Hag, he was even refused entry to the Carrington cafeteria and did not bow down to the manager or the club to apologize. In the end, it was Ten Hag who gave in.