Dortmund set to anger fans with Sancho transfer decision

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Jadon Sancho once again finds his name linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, where the former Manchester United star enjoyed the best period of his career.

Sancho was once sold by Dortmund in an €85 million deal to the Red Devils, yet his career has since stalled, and he finds himself a high-profile free agent.

The prospect of moving back to the Bundesliga giants for a third spell is being touted by fans of the club, but their hopes are set to be dashed by the board.

STATS

Jadon Sancho

M (RL), AM (L)

Jadon Sancho

M (RL), AM (L)

All Tournaments

2025/26

• 39

  Games

• 1

  Goals

• 3

  Assists

View all stats

Why do Dortmund want Sancho back?

Dortmund have been rocked by a succession of issues at the start of the season, the latest of which saw new signing Konstantinos Karetsas collapse during a 3-2 Champions League win against Villarreal on Tuesday.

Karetsas spent the evening in hospital after being stretchered off the field with what was later revealed to be circulatory problems.

This prompted many Dortmund fans to take to social media to push for a return for Sancho, who previously came back at the end of the 2023/24 season on a six-month loan deal that was a modest success.

Dortmund’s board, however, does not share the same opinion as the supporters and has immediately dismissed the possibility, according to Bild, which says that a return is “out of the question” and asks: “When will this madness end?”

Dortmund say ‘no’ to Sancho – here’s why

There are numerous reasons behind Dortmund’s unwillingness to gamble on Sancho.

Principally, he has large wage demands – around €6m per year – and offers little certainty in terms of what he might return. Bild assesses this as such:

“Even during his six-month return, Dortmund's former cult figure was carried more by fan love than by his own abilities. His performances: as inconsistent as his lifestyle. Game changer? A thing of the past!”

On top of this, there is no guarantee when the Englishman will be match fit. He has not played since 15 May and has been training with 10th tier Flixton FC.

But there’s more to the decision than Sancho’s own behaviour.

Dortmund as a club are determined to look to the future, and a move to sign the 26-year-old would represent a glance to the past. Instead, they believe that youngsters Samuele Inacio and Mathis Albert are capable of filling the void that Karetsas threatens to leave if his absence proves to be a lengthy one.

For Sancho, this represents a blow. Opportunities for free agents are unlikely to come along at big clubs at this stage of the season too often, and with even his former employers unwilling to gamble on his match readiness, it seems this was a door that was never going to be opened to him.