Manchester United will be at the head of the queue for Jadon Sancho as part of Ed Woodward’s summer transfer vow.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s hopes of landing his long-term target will be boosted by the fact Manchester City failed to insert an ‘anti-United’ clause in the deal that took the teenager to Borussia Dortmund three years ago.
City made moves to ensure Brahim Diaz would not end up at Old Trafford after selling the Spain starlet to Real Madrid last year - insisting on a 40 percent sell-on fee if he if he joined any other Manchester club.
But there was no such clause Sancho’s deal.
United were desperate to land the 19-year-old last summer – but Dortmund’s refusal to sell, combined with the winger’s reluctance to push for a move, saw him remain at the Bundesliga club.
In Pictures | Man Utd at Marbella training camp | 12/02/2019
Now he is widely expected to leave at the end of the season – sparking a bidding war from Europe’s leading clubs.
Woodward has already promised to back Solskjaer when the window reopens – and is intent on making the type of transformative signings to put United back in contention for the Premier League title.
United’s executive vice chairman said: “Our recruitment process focuses on analysis and selection of players over the course of a season, with a view to the following summer transfer window.
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“As part of the rebuild we see this coming summer as an important opportunity.”
Chelsea are also among the clubs tracking Sancho – but their agreement to sign Hakim Ziyech from Ajax may impact on their plans.
Ziyech was also being monitored by United – but Sancho, who is likely to cost upwards of £100m, has been their priority attacking target for the past 12 months.
