Jadon Sancho: Man Utd exit hopes boosted by Ratcliffe decision that can push winger towards one specific club
Jadon Sancho and Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The chances of Jadon Sancho leaving Manchester United to join Juventus will increase if Sir Jim Ratcliffe appoints Jean-Claude Blanc as the replacement for Richard Arnold, according to reports in Italy.
Arnold’s departure as Man Utd’s CEO has been confirmed ahead of Ratcliffe investing into a 25% stake in the club. Ratcliffe will need to appoint a new chief executive and reports have suggested Blanc is a leading candidate after joining Ineos last year.
Interestingly, Blanc used to work for Juventus between 2006 and 2011 – and that connection could help Sancho join the Serie A side, Tuttosport has claimed.
The Turin-based newspaper is suggesting that the potential appointment of Blanc at Man Utd could bridge a gap in negotiations for Juventus to sign Sancho.
TEAMtalk revealed in October that Juventus were sounding out a move for Sancho, who has been ostracised by Erik ten Hag at Man Utd after failing to apologise for a social media statement in which he effectively called his manager a liar for accusing him of performing below standards in training.
Not overly keen on moving to the Saudi Pro League despite becoming a major target there, Sancho is hoping to find a club in Europe where he can continue his career.
A return to Borussia Dortmund has been explored, although the Bundesliga side would seriously struggle to match his current wages.
Juventus have established themselves as the other main contenders for Sancho’s signature, potentially offering him a first taste of Serie A action.
The Old Lady would also find it challenging to accommodate the financial aspects behind the Sancho deal, but that is where Blanc might be willing to help them out.
Blanc entered the Juventus setup in 2006, just after they had been demoted to Serie B in the wake of the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football.
During his reign as CEO, he helped the Bianconeri return to Serie A and quickly establish themselves back towards the top.
He served as president of the club during the 2009-10 season before becoming chairman until he left in 2011 to embark on an 11-year spell as CEO of Paris Saint-Germain.
His pedigree in his field is strong and he was important enough to Juventus to still be held in high regard there, which may be beneficial if Man Utd want to send Sancho in that direction.
Sancho seeking Man Utd escape
For the time being, Sancho is stuck in a contract with Man Utd until 2026, but Ten Hag is not allowing him to use first-team facilities.
Reports have claimed Ratcliffe is not entirely happy with how Ten Hag has handled the situation, but the investor’s wider plans for Man Utd could still facilitate a departure for Sancho.
The winger’s record for Man Utd includes 12 goals from 82 appearances, which is a worse ratio than the 50 in 137 he got for Borussia Dortmund.
Any kind of career revival for the 23-year-old is almost certainly going to take place away from Man Utd – and ideally from January onwards.
