Aston Villa 'pull the plug' on talks to sign Jadon Sancho permanently - and this is why

Aston Villa have pulled the plug on talks to sign Jadon Sancho permanently this summer as he refuses to budge on his huge wage demands.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a successful loan spell under Unai Emery last season and played a key role in winning the Europa League and reaching the Champions League.

Villa had been keen to explore the possibility of a permanent deal after his Man United contract expired last month, but it quickly became clear a deal would not be possible.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Sancho is unwilling to cut his wage demands and is waiting for a club to match his terms before making a move.

The same issue saw the winger miss out on a move to Chelsea following his loan spell at Stamford Bridge in the 2024-25 season, despite the Blues agreeing terms with Man United.

Now, Sancho remains a free agent and has yet to progress with any club despite multiple across Europe and the Middle East keeping an eye on his situation.

Could Aston Villa make a permanent move for Jadon Sancho?

Brown told Football Insider last month that Aston Villa had not ruled out the possibility of signing Sancho permanently and were keen to do a deal depending on the terms.

However, his demands are believed to be at a similar level to the £250,000 per week he was earning at Man United, pricing him out of a move to most European clubs.

As a result, no progress will be made over a permanent move to Aston Villa, with Emery now set to assess other targets instead.

"Aston Villa hadn't ruled out the possibility of signing Sancho," Brown told Football Insider.

"By all accounts, they were quite impressed with him during his loan spell, and even though he didn't start every week he was seen as quite an important part of the squad.

"He played a big role in helping them win the Europa League and they qualified for Champions League football as well with him in the side.

"So when it was decided that he would leave Man United on a free transfer, of course Aston Villa were interested and they wanted to see what it would take to do a deal.

"Sancho's problem is, he will not budge on his wage demands, and Aston Villa are not prepared to pay him the kind of money he's looking for.

"It's the exact same problem he had when Chelsea wanted to sign him, he wouldn't agree to cut his wages, so instead Chelsea opted against the move and looked elsewhere.

"Aston Villa are now prepared to do the same thing, they've walked away from the deal and he has now missed out on that move because of his wages.

"I expect it will be the situation for all of the European clubs who we've mentioned before, because it will be difficult for any of them to match what he's asking for."

Who are the favourites to sign Sancho this summer?

Aston Villa have now dropped out of the race to sign Sancho, opening the door for one of the other interested clubs to make a move, if they can afford his demands.

Borussia Dortmund have been heavily linked with bringing the winger back for a third spell in the Bundesliga following his success in the past, but may also miss out due to his wages.

Instead, Brown told Football Insider on 27 July that Sancho's most likely destination will be a club in the Middle East amid interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

He has received an offer from Qatari outfit Al Rayyan and is continuing to weigh up his options, with his agent believed to have been in contact with Saudi Arabian clubs as well.

While talks with Al Rayyan are not believed to have progressed, clubs in that region are believed to be the only ones willing to match the wages he is asking for.