Manchester United feel they are reaching the endgame with regards to a deal for Jadon Sancho, and will make a final £80m bid after their Premier League fate is secured next week, according to a report.
United face West Ham on Wednesday before bringing their campaign to an end with a visit to top four rivals Leicester at the weekend. Two points in those two games will ensure qualification to the Champions League, which has been the goal for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side all season.
They will be keen to end their season on a high note, but after the Premier League campaign is brought to its conclusion, it seems they will turn their intentions to another long-term aim: acquiring Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
"Brandon, Rashy, Pogs... Sancho." ?
— 90min (@90min_Football) July 17, 2020
Jesse Lingard talked to @benhainess about who the regular squad is when playing Warzone...@CallofDuty | #Warzone pic.twitter.com/rkt1vrmSZN
90min reported at the end of May that United remained confident in securing the England international, and there has been no firm indication that their stance has changed. There were some noises that they are 'no longer prepared' to table an offer above £50m, but that had the obvious air of a negotiating ploy designed to make the German side sweat.
A report from The Star now claims that next week will see Ed Woodward table a final 'take it or leave it' offer in the region of £80m, with Solskjaer keen to get Sancho training with the squad as soon as is physically possible. It's said that they will offer that fee if Champions League football is secured, which perhaps suggests a lower offer if the next two games do not go their way.
In any case, they say that if that their proposed final offer next week is not accepted, United are prepared to walk away, not keen to let a deal drag on and dominate their summer agenda. An array of cheaper alternatives have been suggested, such as Argentine starlet Thiago Almada and Sassuolo's Jeremie Boga.
Interestingly, and perhaps not all coincidentally, this report comes to light on the same day that Dortmund announced the signing of Birmingham's Jude Bellingham, who was heavily targeted by United.
Source : 90min