Jadon Sancho to deal Man Utd blow, Unai Emery's clear stance, 'secret talks' abroad

Jadon Sancho's spell at Manchester United has been nothing short of a disaster, but the winger is set to end his nightmare run with the Red's in the near future

Jadon Sancho's challenging four-year stint at Manchester United appears to be nearing its conclusion. The England international has not featured under Ruben Amorim, having spent the previous season on loan at Chelsea before moving to Aston Villa for the 2025/26 campaign.

The 25-year-old has primarily been utilised in the Europa League by Emery, clocking up 336 minutes this season - just under a quarter of which have been in the Premier League. He is yet to make a starting appearance in the latter competition, with a brief substitute appearance against Manchester City ending abruptly when he was taken off.

Emery later clarified that the decision was due to fitness concerns, as Sancho had played 67 minutes in Europe just days prior. However, it seems he is part of Villa's second-choice team, with updates now surfacing about his future at Old Trafford and the three clubs he could potentially join next year.

With all this in mind, Manchester Evening News has delved deeper into Sancho's situation at Villa Park, his contract with United and his potential next club.

Man Utd setback

Sancho penned a five-year deal when he transferred from Borussia Dortmund to United in 2021, meaning that contract is set to run out in roughly six months.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Sancho will leave the club as a free agent, having made 83 appearances and scored 12 goals with six assists over what is technically just two years, considering his loan spells elsewhere.

United will be relieved to remove his substantial wages from their books, but will undoubtedly regret the possibility of losing a player who cost them £73million for nothing.

One destination during Sancho's career was former club Borussia Dortmund, who may attempt to re-sign him. He contributed to their run to the 2024 Champions League final before an underwhelming loan period at Chelsea last season.

Unai Emery stance

Unai Emery evidently values Sancho, though his intentions regarding a permanent transfer remain unclear. Villa, who are covering 80 per cent of Sancho's wages, did not include an obligation to buy clause in his loan agreement with United, but would likely be leading contenders should they choose to pursue a deal at the season's end.

Reports in September suggested that Villa were already considering making his transfer permanent. Nevertheless, Sancho's restricted playing time since his summer arrival has done little to support that notion.

Despite this, Villa manager Emery has no doubts about Sancho's abilities. "When Leon Bailey left, it was a moment for us to assess the players we had identified through our scouting," Emery said when asked about the decision to bring in the winger.

"We then had the opportunity to make a signing, and one of the players on our list was Jadon Sancho. He's capable of playing on both the right and left wings, and he provides something different. He's a good player - 25 years old - and I felt he performed very well last year at Chelsea.

"Yes, he had some problems at Manchester United, but during his time at Borussia Dortmund, he performed fantastic. He's also played 25 times for England. He's still young, still hungry, and has the ability to show his skills and qualities.

"Hopefully, we can bring out the best in him here. In the last few years, he's played more on the left, but at Dortmund, he was more often on the right. Here, I see him being able to play in both of those positions."

Sancho is due to complete the remainder of the current campaign on loan at Villa, with no break clause inserted into the agreement, which means United cannot bring him back in January.

Confidential discussions overseas

Sancho looks likely to depart United when his contract runs out next summer, although there remains a possibility he could secure a permanent transfer during the January window.

According to CaughtOffside, 'discreet but meaningful discussions' took place throughout the November international break between Sancho's advisers and representatives from Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas.

The report also suggested that these meetings happened at an upmarket hotel, where the three Turkish clubs each outlined their individual plans for Sancho. It has also been suggested that Sancho would be prepared to accept a reduction in his current £13million per season salary.

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