Juventus are very confident of bringing Jadon Sancho in as a quick replacement for Federico Chiesa before the transfer window closes on Friday, fending off late interest from Chelsea.
Manchester United are looking to move Sancho on after he was left out of Erik ten Hag’s matchday squads for the opening two Premier League games despite being fully fit and reintegrated into the first team over the summer.
United had been willing to utilise the 24-year-old this season after he reconciled his differences with the manager following last year’s very public bust-up, but i understands all parties believe an exit works best for club and player at this stage.
United are not desperate to sell, having generated close to £100m in player sales already this summer and won’t allow him to leave on the cheap. They prefer a permanent sale or a loan with an obligation to buy, but if a fee can be arranged and a large portion of Sancho’s substantial wages can be covered, then a straight loan with only an option to buy will be entertained.
Juventus are eyeing the latter, with sources in Italy believing such an agreement can be found. Chiesa’s imminent departure, with Liverpool a surprise likely destination, frees up funds to explore several options and could spark a series of deals elsewhere.
Talks between United senior executives and Chelsea have also taken place over the possibility of Sancho moving to Stamford Bridge and Raheem Sterling going in the opposite direction. Rather than a straight swap, the move is being looked at as two separate transactions.
Sancho is very much of interest to Chelsea, but they must offload several of their unwanted stars, such as Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Romelu Lukaku, to fund further incomings this summer. That should be easy enough, with Lukaku in Italy to finalise a move to Napoli.
United insiders insist there is uncertainly over Sterling. Should Sancho move on, they would like to bolster their attacking options. But at 29 and with wages of £325k-a-week, there are doubts whether the club need to take a financial hit of this scale, after a great deal of costcutting measures have already taken place.
All options remain on the table, but there is much work to be done for both deals to happen over the coming days.
Juventus are the team more in need. Chiesa has been their standout star during the past few seasons, with Italy’s most successful domestic club chasing a first Serie A title in five years under new manager Thiago Motta.
They cannot afford to lose Chiesa and not replace him with someone of sufficient quality, which is why they have made Sancho their top target.
Sancho is not the only target Chelsea are looking at, however. Victor Osimhen remains their top choice, given the Napoli hitman is available for around half his release clause of £110m.
The Nigerian forward appeared set to move to Saudi Arabia, but i understands he much prefers a move to the Premier League, where Chelsea could be the ideal fit.
While the Blues have brought in plenty of fresh faces again this summer, they are yet to sign a real blockbuster name. Osimhen fits that bill as the current African Footballer of the Year.
Paris Saint-Germain are expected to express late interest, too, having coveted the 25-year-old for much of the year before pulling out over price.
Now, with United and Napoli both keen to sell, deals for Sancho and Osimhen can be struck.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/EoCJe38
Post a Comment