Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho has reportedly been in ‘regular contact’ with Borussia Dortmund over a return to the club in January.
Sancho is currently being kept away from the first team as he continues his stand-off with United boss Erik ten Hag, amid his refusal to apologize for his public comments against his manager.
The £73million winger was banned from United training after claiming on social media that he had been a ‘scapegoat’ and effectively called Ten Hag a liar after the defeat at Arsenal.
He is reportedly not allowed to use the senior team facilities, including the dining room.
Sancho, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, has made just three sub-appearances for United this season but has not been part of the squad since his outburst.
Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho (left) is reportedly in regular contact with Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic (right) over a return to the club in January
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And according to Heaven GermanyThe England international is plotting a return to his former club amid talks with Dortmund boss Edin Terzic over a return.
Reports last month suggested that Dortmund are reluctant to sign Sancho from Manchester United due to concerns over his discipline.
Bild reported this Dortmund have reservations about bringing him back to the club as they are concerned about his off-field activities dating back to his previous spell in Germany.
Their main concern is that they feel Sancho is not getting enough sleep at night because he plays video games and is on his computer late at night.
Sancho is training with United’s academy after being banned from United’s first team
It comes after Sancho refused to apologize to Erik ten Hag for his social media post last month
Sancho has also regularly been late to training – a concern also raised at United – and has been known to fly away privately for a day or two.
The report states that Sancho’s discipline was often discussed behind the scenes at Dortmund, and senior figures at the club fear his return could upset the current squad.
Another potential stumbling block to a deal concerns the compensation involved.
United do not want Sancho on loan, but prefer a permanent sale. The asking price is set at £52 million (€60 million).
Sancho (right) was spotted in Carrington for the first time since the feud with Ten Hag after posing for a photo with Kobbie Mainoo (left) and a fan (Credit: Instagram @jacob_manunited)
This is beyond Dortmund’s budget as the club are expected to have limited resources this winter after spending big on Marcel Sabitzer, Niklas Fullkrug and Felix Nmecha in the summer.
If they make good on their interest in Sancho, it appears they will have to reach a compromise with United to get a deal over the line.
The standoff began after Man United’s defeat to Arsenal when Ten Hag said: “Jadon, because of his performance in training we have not selected him,” after being asked why Sancho had not been selected for the match.
Sancho was furious with Ten Hag’s comments, saying on social media: ‘Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people to say things that are completely untrue. This week I behaved very well during training.
“I believe there are other reasons for this issue that I won’t go into. I have been a scapegoat for a long time, which is not fair!
Sancho flourished during his time at Borussia Dortmund but the club are concerned about re-signing him due to his discipline, according to reports in Germany.
Recent reports claimed that Dortmund feel Sancho is not getting enough sleep at night due to playing video games
‘All I want is to play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team. I respect all the decisions made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and I am grateful for that, which I know is a challenge every week. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!’
Ten Hag refused to discuss Sancho’s future after Man United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, saying he will never talk about players ‘not available’.
It was put to Ten Hag that reports claimed that excessive gaming sessions on his Xbox, resulting in limited sleep, were damaging Sancho’s career, causing Ten Hag to quickly shut down any questions about Sancho.
“I don’t talk about personal issues and I don’t talk about players who are not available,” he said quickly before ending his press conference.