Jadon Sancho sends emotional message to Jude Bellingham in transfer hint
Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho’s careers have taken divergent paths since their respective departures from Borussia Dortmund.
The two Englishmen only crossed paths for one season at the Westfalenstadion after Bellingham’s arrival from Birmingham City in 2020, but between them the pair managed 20 goals across 84 appearances.
Sancho‘s £73million transfer to Manchester United after the 2020–21 campaign left Bellingham as Dortmund’s talisman, and his performances in the seasons since resulted in a 2023 move to Real Madrid.
Man United haven’t come close to getting the same output out of Sancho, and after over 18 months with his Red Devils career in limbo, the 25-year-old is facing yet another period of uncertainty this summer.
Sancho reflects on Dortmund days – ‘Time flies’
Sancho is set to return to Carrington for pre-season training next month after being acrimoniously sent back to Man United from Chelsea, who paid a £5m penalty to avoid signing him on a permanent deal.
Chelsea’s season-long loan agreement to sign Sancho last summer included a £25m obligation to buy the former England winger, but they reneged on that deal despite his five goals and 10 assists last term.
Man United had even sent Sancho back to the Westfalenstadion on a half-season loan in January 2024, and with his future up in the air once again the former Dortmund forward reflected on his time there.
In an Instagram story (29 June) directed towards his former team-mate Bellingham with an image of both in Dortmund shirts, Sancho said: “Happy birthday bro! Time flies”.
Man United stuck with Sancho after Chelsea decision
Football Insider Verdict
Sancho isn’t the only out-of-favour, returning loanee on his way back to Old Trafford this summer, with Antony and Marcus Rashford being two more players who Ruben Amorim is keen to get off the books.
Antony’s form on loan at Real Betis has left the Spanish side desperate to complete a permanent deal for him, while Rashford’s displays at Aston Villa were enough to draw Barcelona’s attention this summer.
Sancho’s loan club moved did all they could in order not to sign him by contrast, and with wage demands that even Chelsea baulked at, the forgotten Red Devils man looks set to slide even further away from the world-class form he displayed at Dortmund.