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Man Utd chief Ed Woodward’s Jadon Sancho transfer ploy could help Chelsea seal a deal
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has given Chelsea a boost in their pursuit of Red Devils transfer target Jadon Sancho, as he attempts to lower Borussia Dortmund's asking price, according to reports.
Jadon Sancho shows off quick feet in Borussia Dortmund training
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has given Chelsea a boost in their pursuit of Red Devils transfer target Jadon Sancho, as he attempts to lower Borussia Dortmund's asking price, according to reports.
Last week Woodward said speculation about transfers for "hundreds of millions of pounds this summer" is ignoring the "realities that face the sport".
According to the Evening Standard, Woodward's comments could be seen as a ploy to get Dortmund to lower their reported £120million valuation of Sancho.
However, this approach is risky as Chelsea are also interested in the player and boss Frank Lampard has a large transfer budget of his own this summer after the club failed to sign a player in January.
And while the Blues' finances, like United and other football clubs, have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the report claims Chelsea's chances of signing Sancho have increased since Woodward's announcement.
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"Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of the challenge facing everyone in football," Woodward said to a United Fans' Forum on Friday.
"And it may not be 'business as usual' for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer."
As for Sancho, United and Chelsea face the issue that Dortmund hope a lucrative new contract will convince the winger to stay at the German club.
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Dortmund are prepared to increase the 20-year-old's wages by £3.5m (€4m).
This would increase Sancho's wage to £9m (€10m) per season and make him the second-highest-paid player at the Bundesliga club.
And while Dortmund are also examing the financial impact of the current suspension of football, its CEO, Hans Joachim Watzke, is adamant that the club don't have to sell and will not be lowering their valuation of Sancho.
“I can explicitly say that even the very rich clubs, despite the existential crisis, should not believe that they can go on a bargain tour with us," Watzke said.
"We don’t have to sell anyone below their value."
If Dortmund sold Sancho for their current asking price they would be in line to make a colossal profit on the England international, who they signed from Manchester City for around £8million in 2017.
However, Sancho's performances for BVB have only been getting better each season and so far this campaign he has scored 17 goals and has provided 19 assists in just 35 appearances in all competitions.