Dortmund Keep The Sancho Pot Boiling, But United May Re-focus

Could Borussia Dortmund be regretting not selling Jadon Sancho to Manchester United in the latest transfer window?

According to the UK’s Daily Star, Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has suggested United need be smarter about their business in a manner akin to dropping hints that a deal for Sancho could yet materialize.

Of course that can’t happen now until January, but the clubs can talk.

Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say Borussia regret not selling Sancho, it seems they want to keep United warm, possibly because they see the Red Devils as the club they can prize most money from should the player leave, as looks certain, before the end of his contract.

“Without mentioning United by name, Watzke said, “[They] misjudged the situation. We had a clear line and will continue to do so next summer. In this industry you can never say that a player is completely unsellable.”

There is still a belief that United will again pursue Sancho during the next transfer window, but I wouldn’t be surprised should they transfer focus elsewhere, and that might be what concerns the Dortmund chief.

Then again, another potential Dortmund target could be Erling Haaland, although United are not keen at all to deal with the Norwegian’s agent, Mino Raiola. Solskjaer through the Norwegian and Molde grapevine, has links to the player, and is believed to have wanted him at Old Trafford at the time he left RB Salzburg for Dortmund.

Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

Haaland’s form since going to Dortmund only backs up his early potential. He is likely to become the hottest young property in Europe, if he’s not that already. Hotter even than Sancho and may be more of what United need rather than the 20-year-old England man, who United considered, not unreasonably, over-priced at £108m.

If Haaland, contracted to Dortmund until 2024, is to become the next target, Dortmund is likely to ask for even more money than they did for Sancho.

United cannot expect Borussia Dortmund to be any more reasonable than they were in dealings over Sancho.

They will also not want to be left reaching for a last resort move as they did in the last window, when Edinson Cavani was on-boarded, after Plan A failed, and Plan B, if there was one, ran short of time.