The England winger has been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top target for the summer but the Bundesliga side have repeatedly said he is not for sale
Borussia Dortmund have underlined their stance on Manchester United target Jadon Sancho, with sporting director Michael Zorc claiming there is nothing more to say on the matter.
Sancho has been United’s No 1 transfer target throughout the summer window, though Goal understands a formal bid has not been made at any point.
Dortmund imposed a deadline of August 10 for any deal to be completed, by which time United did not meet their €120 million (£108m/$142m) asking price.
On August 10, Zorc said the Bundesliga side would be keeping Sancho for at least another season.
“Jadon Sancho will play with us next season,” he said. “The decision is final. I think that answers all the questions.”
Now, nearly two months on, United are still believed to hold some hope of a late change in fortunes, but Zorc does not appear to entertain any notion of a surprise sale.
“Everything that can be said on this subject has already been said,” he told Ruhr Nachrichten. “Nothing will change that.”
Sancho missed Dortmund’s last game, a 3-2 DFL-Supercup defeat to Bayern Munich, through illness. Some fans took his absence as a sign that a move was on, but Zorc reiterated he was simply unavailable with a cold. Sancho and Roman Burki, who also missed out, both tested negative for Covid-19.
He said: “At the moment I don’t know [when they will return], especially with Roman. Jadon had a slight cold. We’ll see today.”
If Dortmund stick to their word and Sancho spends another season in black and yellow, it cannot be said to come as a surprise given their repeated public statements as such.
Team-mates Erling Haaland and Marco Reus have said how pleased they were to learn he would be staying, while CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in August that there was ‘no room for interpretation’ about their deadline for a deal.
Director Sebastian Kehl admitted Sancho may well leave the club one day, but not this year, while manager Lucien Favre has also said plainly that he would be part of his squad for another season.
United, meanwhile, are now left scrambling for an alternative. Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele has emerged as an option in recent days, while Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos has also been linked with a move.
