Man Utd nightmare nearly over, as Jadon Sancho made top target for one destination in January
Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho has supposedly become a priority target in the Saudi Pro League ahead of the January transfer window, per a report.
Sancho is desperately looking for a way out of Man Utd after being severely punished by Erik ten Hag. The manager has frozen Sancho out of the first team completely because of a disagreement about comments they have made about each other.
Unless Sancho apologises for his side of the story, Ten Hag will not consider him for selection. Therefore, to stand any chance of adding to his three appearances this season, Sancho will have to change clubs in January.
The only question is where he could go next. Fortunately for Sancho, there still appears to be a market for him.
Indeed, the Daily Telegraph has now named Sancho as someone who is one of the Saudi Pro League’s priority targets for January.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia announced itself as a force to be reckoned with when competing for high-profile players, luring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane to the Middle East.
It seems the Saudi Pro League will continue in similar fashion in 2024 – and the arrival of Sancho in January could kickstart things.
The dream in Saudi Arabia is still for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah to become their poster boy, but any attempt to sign him in January is almost certain to be met with the same resistance by the Reds as in September.
Therefore, Saudi Pro League officials are identifying more realistic options for the winter window – and Sancho, according to the report, is one of them.
The 23-year-old did have the chance to go to Saudi Arabia in September after his fall-out with Ten Hag, but opted against the move at the time.
Therefore, he would have to perform a U-turn if he was to entertain a Saudi approach in the next transfer window. But with options narrowing, it might be something he has to reconsider.
And the fact that he is not just wanted there, but wanted above almost all other names, may well be the reminder to himself that he needs about his worth.
Who will be Sancho’s next club?
It is not yet clear at which Saudi club Sancho could be placed. He was specifically targeted by Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in the most recent transfer window.
Furthermore, Sancho may yet have opportunities to remain in European football. TEAMtalk revealed last month that Juventus were sounding out a deal to take him to Serie A, while there have also been rumours of a return to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently suggested a move to Germany or Italy could be most likely for Sancho, although he stopped short of committing to any specific interested parties.
During his previous spell with Dortmund, Sancho certainly made a name for himself by scoring 50 goals from 137 appearances.
His form for Man Utd has never quite taken off to a similar level, since he has only scored 12 goals from 82 appearances for them – which he looks unlikely to add to in the current circumstances.
Sancho is still under contract in Manchester until 2026, but it obviously looks like he will be leaving long before then.
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