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Manchester United are already planning their moves ahead of the summer transfer window, clear in the knowledge that they will need to move a number of players out of Old Trafford if they are to give Erik ten Hag the backing he needs.
Writing for The Athletic, Laurie Whitwell suggests that Jadon Sancho may be shifted towards an exit, with the player regarded as the club’s “most saleable asset.”
The winger has struggled at various points throughout the campaign, even having to be sent to the Netherlands for individual training after his omission for England’s World Cup squad.
His performances upon his reintegration have shown only the odd flash of his capabilities, with a poor performance against Sevilla in midweek seeing him hooked at halftime.
“Jadon Sancho, 23, is perhaps United’s most saleable asset, but United would be very hard pushed to find a club willing to reimburse his £73million ($90.8m) fee,” Whitwell says.
“A crucial aspect is Sancho’s wages. He comfortably earns more than £200,000 per week and not many clubs can afford that.”
According to SalarySport, Sancho is on around £275,000-a-week, a figure that is likely to rise should United qualify for the Champions League next season.
He is among the club’s top earners, having been the subject of a protracted transfer saga that saw the Red Devils desperate to get their man from Borussia Dortmund after a year-long pursuit.
The thinking that his salary could be better off going to a player with a more direct impact on Man United’s performances is not without merit, although as Whitwell points out, a full reimbursement of the £73m transfer fee paid is highly unlikely.
And that is as much to do with Sancho’s huge wages as it is to do with the player’s poor form.
Few clubs can afford to pay the winger’s wages, and fewer still would happily take a gamble during such a like a low point in Jadon Sancho’s career.
While funds are needed, the former Dortmund star’s position in the squad would still need to be replaced were he to be offloaded and, given the going rate for a Premier League winger at a top club looks to be around the £80m-mark these days, selling Sancho would probably end up doing more harm than good for United’s finances.
All of that is without consideration of the 23-year-old’s obvious talent – it is easy to forget just how good he was prior to his return to Manchester. A revival similar to that of Marcus Rashford this season cannot be completely written off.
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