Manchester United reportedly remain undecided over their next move for winger Jadon Sancho, whose bid to rejuvenate his career on loan with Aston Villa has not yet come to fruition.
A mixed loan with Chelsea last season saw the Blues pay a penalty fee to opt out of an obligation to sign Sancho permanently. Despite a desire to sell the winger last summer, United were ultimately forced to accept a straight loan offer from Villa, who do not have the option to make the move permanent next year.
United’s hope for the move is that Sancho would follow a similar career path to Marcus Rashford, whose six-month loan spell at Villa Park in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign helped boost his value, but that is yet to materialise.
Indeed, Sancho has just five Villa appearances to his name thus far and recently faced the humiliation of being substituted after having been introduced off the bench in Sunday’s 1–0 victory over Manchester City.
The state United have not yet come to an agreement over their plan for Sancho’s next move. The 25-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford only runs until next summer but the Red Devils do hold the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Letting Sancho’s contract expire at the end of the season would see United accept a total loss on the £73 million ($97.4 million) they paid to sign Sancho in 2021. Extending his deal would give United the chance to sell him for a fee, but they would run the risk of being saddled with his mammoth wages for another 12 months if the right offer did not arrive.
It is clear that Sancho has no long-term future at United, who hope a promising loan at Villa Park will maintain some kind of value and encourage a bidding war next summer. A decision on his contract extension will only be made later in the season, when Sancho has had enough time to show his best at Villa.
