Jadon Sancho is leaving Manchester United on a free transfer – five years after signing for £73million – after the club decided not to trigger a year’s extension in his £250,000-a-week contract.
Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia were also named on United’s list of released players today.
On Sancho, a one-paragraph United statement read: ‘Jadon Sancho arrived at Old Trafford in 2021 and was also part of the 2023 Carabao Cup-winning side. The winger played 83 times for the club before he returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan and also made temporary moves to Chelsea and Aston Villa.’
There were high hopes when United broke the bank to bring Sancho in from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, but it was a spell that quickly went from bad to worse.
United had the option to trigger a 12-month extension on his £250,000-a-week deal this summer, giving them the chance to try and generate money from a sale, but have instead chosen to cut their losses.
In truth, Sancho had long since departed United, even if the decision was not ratified officially until today.
Jadon Sancho is confirmed as leaving Manchester United as a free agent this summer
The 26-year-old has not played for United since appearing in the 2024 Community Shield, one of the 83 appearances he made for the Red Devils.
Costing the club around £880,000 per appearance, Sancho made 41 appearances in his first season under Erik ten Hag, only for his relationship with the Dutchman to deteriorate thereafter.
In December 2022, Sancho took a period of time away from the first team due to ‘physical and mental’ factors and he struggled to regain any form or rhythm upon his return.
Things would sour further when, at the start of the following season, his efforts in training were publicly questioned by Ten Hag in a press conference.
Sancho responded to those remarks on social media in which he suggested the then-United boss had been comfortable to make him a ‘scapegoat for a long time’, which would go on to see him exiled and forced to train and eat separately at Carrington.
From there it felt there was no way back for Sancho, who headed back to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the second half of the 2023-24 season and spent the following season on loan at Chelsea.
That deal included an obligation to buy him for up to £25m, only for Chelsea to elect to pay a £5m penalty fee to send him back to United at the end of that campaign.
Sancho spent the season on loan at Aston Villa, winning the UEFA Europa League, but United chose not to extend his deal in the hope of landing a fee having previously failed to do so
Despite a promising season on loan at Aston Villa, United have taken the chance to go their separate ways from Sancho and get a clean break from his hefty wage, an area Ineos are eagerly trying to bring down with Casemiro and Marcus Rashford, like Sancho, among the very top earners in recent years. All are set to play elsewhere next season.
Manchester United have offered a new deal to young goalkeeper Dermot Mee, as well as offering professional contracts to academy players Albert Mills and Dante Plunkett.
There is no mention of an offer of a professional deal being extended to 18-year-old centre back Godwill Kukonki.
