Manchester United’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho has been widely reported this summer, but it might not be quite as clear cut as fans think.
There have been suggestions in the national news that the constant speculation surrounding the London-born star is masking United’s real intentions in the transfer market, with two players now being heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford.
The first is already based in the Premier League with Aston Villa. Jack Grealish seems to have been around forever and has racked up closing in on 200 appearances for his boyhood club. However, at 24-years-old, he is now being linked with making the jump to one of the Champions League hopefuls.
He has previously been linked with the likes of Spurs, but as Ole’s revolution continues, he could be heading for the red half of Manchester. Team Talk reports that former Villa boss Tim Sherwood believes the deal is already done and that Grealish
will move in the summer. He has bagged seven goals for Dean Smith’s team in the top flight this season and if he is to fulfill his England ambitions, he surely needs to switch to a bigger club.
Whilst Sancho is already an England international, he would also come at an increased cost for United and that may mean they turn to Grealish who would represent a cheaper option. It is also being suggested they may remain focused on Germany’s top flight and swoop for Kai Havertz, with Ole making little secret of the fact he wants to recruit a central midfielder.
Havertz is more versatile than Sancho and given the precarious position of football in the current financial climate, Ole may be forced to choose between one or the other.
Dortmund are resolute in their valuation of Sancho, with £115m needed to pry him away. However, Leverkusen’s Havertz may be available much cheaper, given that they have not qualified for the Champions League.
Either way, recruiting from the Bundesliga is sensible business, both for the club and player, as the success of former VfL Wolfsburg man Kevin De Bruyne demonstrates.
He’s excelled on the other side of Manchester since leaving Germany and he isn’t the only one. Information provided by Bwin on Bundesliga’s gateway clubs explains how England is the destination of choice for the division’s players, with 24 players moving on to English clubs – more than any other European league. So could Havertz be the next to make the jump to the Premier League? Havertz not only operates in the centre of the park but also on the right-wing, which would bring flexibility to the United side that is already beginning to show signs of real flair and attacking
ambition.
With seven caps for Germany, he needs to be playing the regular football
that a Premier League moves seems to offer. It is believed Ole has £50m at his disposal this summer and whilst it isn’t the largest
sum of money likely to be spent before next season, it is a decent sum when you consider the players already at the club. If Paul Pogba is sold on, any money generated is likely to be added to that total, but it still might not be enough to bag Jadon Sancho.
However, it may be that the Sancho saga is merely a diversion, with the real focus on Grealish and Havertz, both young enough to be classed as a financial investment, but experienced enough to add real value to the playing squad as well.
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