3 Potential destinations for Jadon Sancho this summer

Kylian Mbappe. Gianluigi Donnarumma. Marcus Rashford. Matthijs de Ligt. As far as wonderkids go in the modern game, a certain Jadon Sancho is right up there with the best of them.

Ever since his move from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Sancho has proved that he has the quality to be a crucial part of virtually any team in the world. His fantastic ability, particularly with the ball at his feet, for someone as young as him (he is still just 19 years of age) has led to him being considered a vital cog in the Dortmund machine under manager Lucien Favre.

However, in recent weeks, something has seemed off about Sancho's overall happiness and satisfaction in Germany. Over the past (nearly) 3 years, it has always seemed, from the outside at least, that Sancho has always enjoyed his time in the Ruhr valley but the landscape looks to be shifting, and a big factor could be Dortmund's below-average start to the season. Die Schwarzgelben currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga, 5 points off leaders Borussia Monchengladbach, after a summer which saw them bring in Julian Brandt, Thorgan Hazard and Nico Schulz to take the extra step after running Bayern Munich close in the title race last term. Things have not panned out as planned, however.

Various media outlets have reported that Sancho is currently dissatisfied with his situation at Dortmund, especially after 2 notable incidents within the last month. First, the youngster was fined by his club after reporting back late after international duty with England, a measure many felt was slightly excessive. A couple of weeks later, in a 4-0 loss to Bayern, Sancho was substituted after just 36 minutes, with manager Lucien Favre confirming after the game that the England star had not been injured and that his performance had not been good enough. The gesture reportedly left Sancho feeling 'humiliated and scapegoated', with many now suggesting he could agitate for a move in the summer whilst acknowledging that a January move is unlikely.

To that end, here are 3 potential destinations for Jadon Sancho in the summer of 2020.

Manchester United

Given that Sancho made the move to Dortmund from Manchester City, it would be interesting to see if he would be open to making a move to their city rivals, Manchester United.

There are a couple of aspects of this deal that are in United's favour, however. Sancho would expect to have a starring role, which he would certainly be given in the current side, given their struggles in recent times. Additionally, they are one of the few clubs in Europe who would be able to afford the transfer fee, as well as the wages, that Dortmund and Sancho respectively would demand.

It is well known that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would like to build United around the talents of young British players for the long term, and Sancho fits that profile perfectly. Despite these positives, this admittedly is a move that seems a bit far-fetched.

For a young man who would have his pick of European super clubs to choose from, it is unlikely that he would choose United, a team in transition and unlikely to be involved in the UEFA Champions League next season. There is a small chance that he may be persuaded to be part of the rebuild, but United is not what it used to be, so the probability of that happening is extremely small.

Liverpool

Potentially split?

From one of City's oldest rivals to one of their newest ones, Liverpool is another club that has been linked heavily with Sancho in the aftermath of the latest revelations.

An important part of building a club successfully in the long-term is not only knowing when to buy but also when to sell players. Given how well Liverpool are run at the moment, one can be sure that the owners and boardroom, will be acutely aware of this, and will have communicated the same to Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff. Both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will be 28 years old next summer, and Liverpool will have a decision to make; sell one or both of them for a potential world-record fee, or keep them and risk losing out on Sancho.

Essentially, Liverpool have to decide whether to sign Sancho now or risk waiting for another year or two, by which time he could move on from Dortmund, making it tougher to sign him. And herein lies the dilemma. If they sign him now, he would demand a starting berth, and would not be content with a spot on the bench. This would mean that they would have to offload Mane or Salah, which is potentially risky, given how well they fit into the side.

All in all, if Liverpool is keen on forcing this move through, it could lead to them losing one of their star players, or, conversely, if they choose not to do so, they may lose out on a fantastic prospect. Whichever way they lean, we could be in for a big summer.

Real Madrid

Pochettino to Madrid could seal the deal for Sancho

Ah, Real Madrid. The one club that always seems to pop up the second any big-name player seems to endure a rough spell at his current club.

Los Blancos are in a strange place at the moment, as they look far from convincing in every game they play, and yet, they sit level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, and look likely to progress out of their Champions League group into the knockout stages. There is clearly some sort of disharmony behind the scenes, but apparently, all is well on the pitch.

So, where does Sancho come in? With talented wingers such as Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo Goes already at the club, as well as Eden Hazard, it would seem that a place for Sancho is hard to come by, but there is one avenue which makes this potentially, the most likely destination for the England star; Gareth Bale.

It is a well-known fact that Bale has yearned for a move away from Real for a while now, and could well be on his way sooner rather than later, with the infamous stunt he pulled at the weekend while on international duty with Wales. If that were to happen, it would leave a starting berth on Sancho's preferred right flank open, which he could fill in seamlessly. It would also give him a chance to play with several legends of the modern game, such as Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos.

Another factor that cannot be discounted is also the potential arrival of Mauricio Pochettino in Madrid. If Zinedine Zidane were to lose his job, Pochettino would no doubt be the favourite to replace him, and the chance to work with a manager known for developing and improving young players could be too much for Sancho to resist. In addition, Pochettino could well try to bring Harry Kane to Madrid as well, which would only sweeten the deal, as the two link up extremely well for the national team.