Assessing the odds for in-demand Jadon Sacho's next club
The name Jadon Sancho has been impossible to avoid if you have watched football, to some degree, within the previous two years. The former Manchester City trainee swapped the prospect of Premier League 2 football for that of the Bundesliga in 2017, backing his ability to make it as a star in one of the world's strongest leagues.
Indeed, he has done just that, with now 34 goals and 43 assists (and counting) to show for his 94 appearances at Signal Iduna Park. Sancho has created a swashbuckling relationship with BVB and will forever be held in high regard in North Rhine-Westphalia, though the overriding feeling is that this season will be his last at the Bundesliga club.
With an array of super clubs all desperate to house the 20-year-old during the best years of his career, it seems impossible to envisage him in the striking yellow jersey of Dortmund next term. He will not come cheaply, of course, with the German's demanding a fee north of £100m for his services; though as we know all too well, money is no object at the very top of the beautiful game.
What follows is a list of Sancho's perspective clubs, and we here at BettingOdds.com have analysed where exactly he would fit in the best based on his potential at each club, his style of play and tactical preferences.
Manchester United
Manchester United are the current bookmakers favourites to land Sancho in the summer at odds of 8/15. The Red Devils' interest in the exciting young winger spans all the way back to last summer, when it looked possible that a mega-money deal - worth a reported £150m - would be completed.
Since those rumours, Sancho has gone from strength to strength for Dortmund and has been one of the standout performers in the Bundesliga this season, something which will have only heightened United's burning desire to sign him.
But would a move to Old Trafford suit Sancho the best? The 20-time English champions certainly have the financial resources capable of completing such a deal, and could easily cope with his reported wage demands of £200,000-a-week, but money isn't everything.
Despite looking bright at the beginning of his career in the north west, former Swansea winger Daniel James has endured a fairly underwhelming campaign, scoring just three goals.
While time is of course required to settle in at a club the size of Manchester United, and James still has a lot of it to prove himself at Old Trafford, early indications perhaps suggest that he may not be quite as effective as the club's hierarchy would have hoped when they signed him last summer. One thing is for certain, Sancho offers much more in that particular area of the pitch.
Anthony Martial has often been deployed on the left flank for United this season, as has Marcus Rashford at times, but both of those players are not out-and-out wingers and are more efficient playing through the middle - especially in the case of Rashford who is United's top scorer this season with 19 goals in all competitions.
Indeed, with Alexis Sanchez's career in England effectively now sit feet under, and Jesse Lingard's struggle for form well-documented of late, United are crying out for a player of Sancho's quality and profile to help them return to their former position as title-contenders rather than Champions League hopefuls.
Bruno Fernandes' arrival in January has gone some way in helping the club reignite their creative spark in midfield, and if they could add Sancho to their ranks in the summer, there is every chance of us seeing an invigorated United side reborn next season.
The one huge stumbling block which could potentially throw this move off the table is if the Red Devils fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Sancho may only be 20, but one season spent outside of Europe's elite knockout competition would be deemed as one too many, and should United fail to finish fourth in the remaining stages of the current campaign when football resumes later this month, this move could quickly turn from suiting all parties to dead in the water.
In summary, there is a gaping Jadon Sancho-sized hole in United's midfield, ready to be filled by the England international. Sancho would play every week and would be the star of the show at Old Trafford, with the bookies giving United a 65% chance of signing the Englishman this summer, but it all means nothing if that elusive spot in the top-four is not achieved come the end of July.
Chelsea
At 6/1, second favourites to land the Dortmund starlet are Chelsea.
This particular prospect is an interesting one considering the project Frank Lampard is building at Stamford Bridge, placing trust in young, homegrown talent while at the same time slowly phasing out the ageing deadwood.
Sancho could be tempted by the allure of a move to London considering he is a native of the capital, while the chance to link-up with England teammates Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham at SW6 is also something that could sway the 20-year-old's decision.
Judging from what we've seen over the course of the season, Sancho would certainly see plenty of action in west London if he did make the switch. Chelsea's high-pressing, fluid attack-minded style of football - which places great emphasis on the capabilities of their wide players and attacking midfielders - would surely get the best out of him.
Alongside new signing Hakim Ziyech, who will be tasked with linking the midfield and attack in a more centralised position, Sancho's ability out wide would make the Blues a frightening prospect next term.
Lampard has laid the foundations for what is to come at Chelsea this season, now he must continue to build a youthful empire who can sting opponents in the blink of an eye, adding players like Jadon Sancho and Timo Werner - another exciting name who is being heavily linked with a switch to the Bridge - seems like an ideal start.
Like United, though, this potential move all rests on whether Chelsea can hold on to their current spot in the Premier League's top-four and achieve Champions League status next season.
If they can, they will take the upper-hand in negotiations ahead of United. Fail, however, and it could well be game over.
Barcelona
It is every kids dream to play for a club like Barcelona. The Catalans are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world, steeped in history and home to some of the world's greatest players - past and present.
Sancho would find it difficult to see the negatives of signing for the Spanish champions this summer, and after analysing their current personnel, we're struggling to see reasons why Barca wouldn't make a move for the 20-year-old either.
Lionel Messi may now be well into his early-thirties but he is showing no signs of slowing down, and the South American will continue to be the centre point of the mantlepiece at the Nou Camp for as long as he is still lacing up his boots and gracing the Catalonian turf.
But the Argentine cannot do it alone, and too often than not during this season and last he has had to rescue his team from ill-favoured situations. Luis Suarez is starting to show signs of faltering, while Ousmane Dembele has been largely disappointing since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
With just 19 goals to show for his 74 first-team appearances, it's clear that Dembele isn't quite cutting the mustard. A spate of public disagreements between club and player - coupled with his frustrating injury record - suggests that the end appears to be near for the Frenchman in the north east of Spain.
Ex-Atletico Madrid talisman Antoine Griezmann is slowly but surely bedding in at the Nou Camp after an underwhelming start, and will soon become the club's main striker ahead of Suarez as the Uruguayan enters the final year of his contract in Catalonia, which will free up a position for a player like Sancho in Barcelona's forward line.
Alongside the likes of Lionel Messi - the world's greatest assist-provider and finisher - and Griezmann, another player who ranks higher than most when the topic of discussion involves scoring goals, Barca could quite quickly return to being the most feared team in world football by acquiring Sancho.
At the moment Barcelona are in somewhat of a rut. It seems strange to say considering they are sat at the top of La Liga, but that is largely due to the fact that their main rivals, Real Madrid, are in an even bigger one and the rest of the Spanish top-flight has become notably poor in recent years.
The Spaniards haven't won the Champions League since 2015 and are a shadow of the side they used to be just five-to-ten years ago. A spark is required, and soon; Sancho could well be it.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have made a habit of poaching the Bundesliga's best footballers over the years - especially from Dortmund - and are currently priced at 33/1 to steal another of the division's shining beacons in Sancho this summer.
The German titans are one of Europe's most successful clubs but face little challenge in the league each season due to the strength of their opponents.
Sancho's current employers are the closest team to Bayern in terms of quality, though if they lose their best player this summer - to a team who already dominate proceedings in the Bundesliga and do not really need him - the competition at the top of the division will only continue to weaken.
From Sancho's perspective there is little point in making this move. He has been there, done that and bought the Bundesliga t-shirt during the three years he's spent cutting his teeth with BVB.
He would undoubtedly achieve domestic success and potentially win the Champions League with Bayern, but would regular German football, week in, week out truly fulfil him? It is highly doubtful.
Juventus
Juventus are currently 33/1-priced outsiders to land Sancho in the summer, but we think it'd be a foolish decision taken by the young midfielder if he did make the switch to Turin.
While you could argue that the Italian top-flight is now the second strongest league in the world due to Spain's recent decline, it is still not as strong as the Premier League nor does it hold quite the same allure as signing for either of Spain's two elite super clubs.
Moving from Juventus is a sideward move in many ways, and with the style of Italian football notoriously more tailored towards the defensive side of the game, we feel as though Sancho would just be wasting the prime years of his career if he did make a move to Serie A.
At such long odds, the bookies aren't feeling confident in this move taking shape, giving it just a 2.9% chance of actually happening. But if you fancy a longer priced selection here then this one is definitely your best bet.
