Manchester United and Chelsea are said to be negotiating a swap deal that would see Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling swap places.
According The telegraphUnited sporting director Dan Ashworth held talks with Chelsea on Tuesday over a deal that would take Sancho to Stamford Bridge and Sterling to Old Trafford.
Chelsea are expected to pay part of Sterling’s wages, which are said to be in excess of £300,000 a week, with Manchester United likely to cover the remainder if a deal goes through.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have long been admirers of Sancho despite his disappointing career at Manchester United and believe he would add to their wide range of attacking options at the club.
The deal could be mutually beneficial for both players, given they have been shut out by their respective clubs. Sancho’s relationship with Erik ten Hag has left him waiting in the wings, while Chelsea’s bloated squad has seen Sterling fall down the pecking order.
Manchester United and Chelsea are said to be negotiating a swap deal that would see Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling switch clubs.
The Blues are open to a player joining United as part of a potential deal for Sancho and believe Sterling would be a good option given he has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho’s arrival at Manchester United in the summer of 2021 generated huge expectations and anticipation. Having shone with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, United fans saw in Sancho the missing piece to revive the club’s attack.
He was one of Europe’s most highly-rated young talents, known for his dribbling, creativity and ability to break past defenders. His signing was a significant outlay for the club, costing around £73m.
Sancho’s time at United has not been a smooth one, however. His first season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and later Ralf Rangnick was disappointing. Although he showed flashes of brilliance, he struggled to consistently replicate the form he had shown in Germany.
His adaptation to the Premier League proved to be more difficult than expected, with Sancho seemingly struggling to adapt to the physicality and pace of the English game.
Despite moments of individual quality, his impact on the team was limited and his numbers (just five goals and three assists in all competitions in the 2021-22 season) reflect his difficulties.
The 2022-23 season under Erik ten Hag saw some improvements as the Dutch coach placed great emphasis on team discipline, pressing and structured attacking play.
Sancho started the season on the right foot, but fell back into inconsistency. Ten Hag, known for his strict approach to training, began to question Sancho’s attitude and his work rate in training.
As the season progressed, Sancho’s role in the team diminished and he spent more time on the bench than in the starting lineup. As a result, the relationship between Sancho and Ten Hag deteriorated further in the 2023-24 season.
Enzo Maresca said earlier this week that it was “impossible” for players like Sterling to play minutes.
Chelsea currently have a staggering 43 players in their squad, meaning space is limited.
Tensions reached a breaking point in September 2023 when Ten Hag publicly criticised Sancho’s performances in training, citing them as the reason for his exclusion from the squad.
Sancho responded with a now infamous social media post, in which he directly contradicted Ten Hag’s comments and insisted he had been a “scapegoat”. This public reaction created a media storm and severely strained the relationship between player and manager.
The situation left Sancho’s future at the club in serious doubt. Rumours of disciplinary problems and disagreements between Sancho and Ten Hag arose, even leading to the player being expelled from first-team training.
Sancho’s challenge to Ten Hag’s authority was seen as a breach of the manager’s emphasis on discipline and unity, values Ten Hag has been keen to instil since arriving at United.
With the club backing the manager, Sancho’s refusal to apologise created a stalemate, leading to speculation he could be sold or loaned out in the next transfer window.
However, the dispute was said to have been resolved and Sancho travelled with United to Brighton for their second Premier League game of the season on Saturday. But he was left out of the squad as the Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by the Seagulls.
Questions have therefore been cast over Sancho’s future at the club, despite the Manchester United boss insisting he had “put an end to” their dispute, with many believing he will leave this summer.
Chelsea are not the only club interested in Sancho. Juventus have been weighing up a loan move for the United player, which could also have included an obligation to buy the winger for £40m.
The Blues are willing to offer players in exchange amid Enzo Marseca’s over-inflated squad
Chelsea will be hoping to beat the Italian giants to his signature but need to offload up to six players before a deal is feasible for them as the club are still looking for a striker this summer.
The Blues are open to a player joining United as part of a potential deal for Sancho and believe Sterling would be a good option given he has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 was seen as a major coup for the London club. Sterling, a multiple Premier League winner with City and a key figure for the England national team, arrived at Stamford Bridge with a proven pedigree and the expectation that he would help elevate Chelsea’s attack.
He was one of the first major signings under Todd Boehly, who embarked on a spending spree to revitalise the squad following the departure of Roman Abramovich.
However, much like Jadon Sancho at Manchester United, Sterling’s time at Chelsea has been plagued by inconsistency and underperformance.
His debut season in 2022-23 coincided with a turbulent period for Chelsea, as the club experienced managerial changes and struggled to find any real cohesion or identity on the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel, the manager who signed Sterling, was sacked early in the season and his replacement, Graham Potter, failed to provide stability. Constant tactical changes and a lack of continuity in the team affected Sterling’s performances, as he struggled to adapt to the different systems used by different managers.
Sterling, who had shone at Manchester City, a structured and dominant team managed by Pep Guardiola, found himself at a Chelsea side lacking direction and consistency. His performances reflected the general disarray that reigned at the club.
Although he remained one of Chelsea’s most experienced players, Sterling often looked isolated and ineffective in front of goal. As a result, his numbers suffered, with his goals and assists dropping significantly compared to his time at Manchester City.
Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment in the summer of 2023 was meant to mark a fresh start for Sterling and the club as a whole. Pochettino’s arrival brought hopes of Chelsea regaining their competitiveness and Sterling was expected to be a key figure in the Argentine’s plans.
There were signs of improvement at first, with Sterling playing a more prominent role in the early stages of the season. However, Chelsea’s form remained inconsistent and Sterling’s performance continued to fluctuate.
One of the key issues of Sterling’s time at Chelsea has been his positioning. At City, he excelled playing as a winger in a highly structured system where his role was clearly defined.
At Chelsea, he has played in a variety of positions – winger, striker and even false nine – which has made it difficult for him to find his rhythm. The lack of a set attacking system has been a major factor in his struggles, with Chelsea’s revamped squad yet to gel as a cohesive unit.
Furthermore, Chelsea currently have a staggering 43 players in their squad, meaning space with Maresca is limited.
There will be more news later…
