Jadon Sancho’s Chelsea future hangs in the balance as the Blues weigh a £5 million escape clause to avoid signing him permanently from Manchester United. The 24-year-old winger, exiled from Old Trafford after clashing with Erik ten Hag, joined Chelsea on loan last August with an obligation to buy for £20-25 million if they finished 14th or higher. With Chelsea sitting fourth, the trigger seemed inevitable until Sancho’s form nosedived.
As per The Athletic, Chelsea can negotiate to pay United £5 million to cancel the deal. Despite initially downplaying the clause, sources confirm the Blues are now seriously considering it. Sancho’s early promise with three assists in his first three games, fizzled into just two goals and one assist in 28 appearances, with no goal involvements since December.
Chelsea’s recent £42 million deal for Sporting CP’s Geovany Quenda and plans for another winger or striker signal dwindling faith. As ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas bluntly put it: “He’s a talented player, everybody knows this, but we don’t know why he can’t perform… At Chelsea, we saw glimpses of the old Sancho, but then he disappeared.”
United’s Sancho Headache
If Chelsea pay the penalty, Sancho’s return to Manchester United reopens old wounds. His bitter feud with Ten Hag after publicly calling the manager a “liar” over training standards with a social media post left relations fractured. Though Ten Hag is gone, Sancho’s social media jab endorsing Marcus Rashford’s “freedom” at Aston Villa won’t ease tensions either.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent remarks add context, “For Sancho… we pay half his wages, we are paying £17m to buy him in the summer.” This financial burden of paying loaned and dormant players their salaries, paired with efforts to offload Antony and Rashford, complicates Sancho’s comeback into the team. New boss Ruben Amorim, who’s never coached Sancho, would face a tough call, revive him, or push for a sale. The likeliest is the latter as Sancho might have played his last game already in the red of Manchester.
Chelsea’s decision hinges on cost versus potential. Sancho’s £25 million fee is a bargain for his pedigree, but his inconsistency raises red flags. For United, a return forces them with unwanted choices as salvaging his hefty £73 million will be a difficult ask considering Sancho’s inconsistency and off-the-field issues.