Reports suggest Manchester United are ready to walk away from a deal to sign Jadon Sancho this summer.
With United reportedly making a breakthrough in their bid to land the Borussia Dortmund winger by agreeing the player’s salary and agent fees, some believed it was just a matter of time before a deal for the England international was sealed.
But with both clubs unable to reach an agreement over a fee with the German side still unwilling to budge on their £108m valuation of their prized asset, United are now reportedly considering a number of alternatives.
Among the names mentioned is Gareth Bale, who would reportedly welcome a return to the Premier League if a club was willing to rescue him from his Real Madrid nightmare. Despite winning 4 Champions League medals and a La Liga title, Bale has been frozen out by Real boss Zinedine Zidane, spending large parts of last season on the side-lines despite being fit enough to play.
A deal for Bale is risky, though. With the Welshman playing so infrequently, it’s unknown what version of the player United would be getting as he could well be past his best. Then there’s his wages, which are astronomically high. Either Bale will need to take a pay cut or Madrid would need to pay a portion of his wages, otherwise there’s no chance of this one happening.
Other alternatives are said to be Juventus’ Brazilian winger Douglas Costa and Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic, who United almost signed when Jose Mourinho was in charge 3 years ago. The Croatian played a key role in Bayern Munich’s Champions League triumph this year, so he’d appear to be the best option if United can’t force through a deal for Sancho before the transfer window closes on October 5th.
Meanwhile, United are also said to be tracking Spanish left-back Sergio Reguilon and are in the market for a central defender, so with the club looking to make a few more additions to their squad it should be an interesting few weeks for fans of the club.