Manchester United desperate to rescue Jadon Sancho transfer - Paper Round

Manchester United have abandoned all other transfer business in an attempt to save the deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, according to the Mirror. The paper claims that United also want a central defender but will halt any other work in order to revive a deal for the 20-year-old England international, with the German side wanting £100 million.

Paper Round’s view: Borussia Dortmund seem to have been completely upfront with United about the transfer fee that they want, and United seem to have ignored that, just as Ed Woodward did with Pedro, Ivan Perisic and Harry Maguire. Only when United paid what was asked have they ever got their man, and it must be exhausting for their fans to watch.

The Daily Mail states that Wolverhampton Wanderers may have only a three-week break to recover from a season that has gone on for 383 days following their Europa League elimination at the hands of Sevilla on Tuesday night. The Premier League want the club to play their first league game of the season on 12 September, with players requested back for training at the start of September.

Paper Round’s view: It seems almost guaranteed that Wolves’ players will suffer from the unique exertions of the 2019/20 season and that injuries will rack up. If they don’t and go easy on the fitness work, they may not be able to compete with sides which have had more rest over the summer. This is a difficult situation for everyone, but does not seem fair on Wolves.

Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Manchester United turned their attention to Ansu Fati, Barcelona’s 17-year-old forward. The paper says that United made an enquiry to Barca as they considered other options than Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who could stay in Germany as his current club demanded much of the £100 million asking price up front.

Paper Round’s view: If this enquiry is genuine, then it could be that United are for once doing the sensible thing and working through a list of potential targets for a position they need to strengthen. Unfortunately it is probably more likely that Ed Woodward is transparently trying to put the pressure on Dortmund to sell - despite their comfortable financial situation.

Real Madrid told their squad that they would not make any signings before the start of the new season, and that any new faces will be those returning from loans elsewhere. Spanish newspaper Marca reports the club made the decision because of the impact of coronavirus, so Martin Odegaard, Dani Ceballos, and Andriy Lunin will be amongst the potential senior squad players.

Paper Round’s view: Odegaard has reportedly been given the nod to stake a claim for a first team spot, and Ceballos’ improvement towards the end of his time at Arsenal could make him a potential replacement for Toni Kroos or Luka Modric should they be moved on. While Real aren’t make any signings yet, if they manage to shift Gareth Bale it may give them the chance to bring in someone new.