Man Utd dealt blow as Chelsea 'in line for transfer boost' from Borussia Dortmund

Manchester United’s hopes of offloading Jadon Sancho this summer have been dealt a blow with the England star not reportedly the top target for Borussia Dortmund. Instead, it’s Chelsea who could be the beneficiaries of the German side’s spending, with the Blues having also loaned a player there this season.

Ian Maatsen only signed a contract extension at Stamford Bridge in January, with his new deal running until 2026.

However, just days later, the 22-year-old defender joined Dortmund on a six-month move, the fourth time he’s been loaned out since breaking into the senior ranks at Chelsea in 2019.

He did not make a Premier League appearance for the club until this 2023/24 campaign, but has featured regularly at Dortmund, playing 22 times in all competitions. And the Dutchman could yet finish the campaign on a dream note this Saturday, when his current side face Real Madrid at Wembley in the Champions League final.

And according to reports, it’s Maatsen who the Bundesliga club have made their priority in the next transfer window. The player is also said to be keen to stay, and his new deal at Chelsea includes a £35million release clause.

Although head coach Edin Terzic is also keen on signing Sancho, the ex-England forward may have to head back to Manchester if Dortmund are unable to finance moves for both him and Maatsen. The development will come as bad news for United, who could now face the conundrum of whether to welcome the 24-year-old outcast back into the fold.

Sancho has appeared revitalised since his return to Germany, but his parent club have contributed heavily to his wages. His current £300,000-a-week deal with United runs until 2026, and the numbers involved could prove a stumbling block with Dortmund renowned for a cautious financial approach.

Sancho played 82 times for the Manchester club before his explosive fallout with Erik ten Hag back in September, with his manager claiming he was dropped from the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal due to poor application in training. The player responded by savagely criticising his Dutch boss on social media, and was duly banned from training with the first team.

But Ten Hag has not completely closed the door on him now returning to United. Speaking after Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final win over PSG, he refused to shut the door on a surprise return.

“Yesterday he showed why Manchester United bought him and why he represents a high value for Manchester United,” he said. “That is good. I’m happy for Jadon, with his performance yesterday. We’ll see what is going to happen in the future.”

United paid £80m for the star in the summer of 2022, following his performances for England in the delayed Euro 2021 tournament. Should he be sold this summer, the club are likely to want to command a sizeable portion of that fee back with Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to oversee an overhaul this summer.