Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Jadon Sancho 'may turn down Manchester United'

Manchester United may struggle to attract Jadon Sancho in the next transfer window, according to the Sun on Sunday. The paper reports that the 20-year-old England international will not move to Old Trafford if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side fail to qualify for the Champions League. The Borussia Dortmund forward can delay any decision due to Manchester City’s Champions League ban appeal, and the coronavirus.

Paper Round’s view: If City’s ban is upheld then they may find that United manage to qualify for the Champions League, but that also assumes that either the league standings are upheld for next season, or that they are able to complete the Premier League season and United are able to finish at least in fifth place. Things are far too uncertain to be sure either way.

Real Madrid look set to welcome Achraf Hakimi back to the club in the close season and will likely promote him to the first team. The 21-year-old Moroccan international has impressed while on loan at Borussia Dortmund, but his contract with Real runs until 2023. That means that interest from Juventus and Borussia Dortmund is almost certain to come to nothing.

Paper Round’s view: Hakimi is an impressive full-back, but his ability to play as a winger adds versatility to the Real Madrid squad next season. His return would also allow Real to focus spending elsewhere in order to refresh their squad, which might be necessary as players like Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale come to the end of their careers.

Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah is unsure of his future at the club. The 22-year-old Dutchman has a few months left on his current contract and can leave for free in the summer, unless United activate a 12-month extension on his deal. The player wants to stay and is willing to delay any decision until the season postponement is resolved, reports the Sunday Mirror.

Paper Round’s view: The next transfer window is hugely uncertain and for a club with financial advantages like United, there could be bargains to be had from clubs who are more stretched economically. That leaves fringe players like Fosu-Mensah on the edge of the squad possibly until the last minute, and he may decide to leave if the club let him.

The Mail on Sunday report the provision of a treatment centre at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park Stadium. The 81,000-seater stadium can now be used as Germany battles the coronavirus pandemic. Borussia Dortmund stand in second place in the Bundesliga, which has been postponed to combat the spread of the virus.

Paper Round’s view: Bundesliga was initially keen to play one more round of football before the league was suspended but thankfully they bowed to player pressure. The provision of treatment facilities by Borussia Dortmund will, it can be hoped, return life in German back to normal as quickly as possible.