Jadon Sancho’s long-term future doesn’t reside in west London, it turns out.
There were times during his loan spell when Sancho and Chelsea appeared a natural fit. He purred early on, building on the momentum regained at Signal Iduna Park during the back-end of 2023–24, and there didn’t seem to be any doubt that the Blues would opt to sign the winger permanently.
But then the second half of the season happened.
While Sancho played a leading role in the club’s Conference League success, his Premier League form throughout 2025 was indifferent at best. His contrasting fortunes in the two competitions left Chelsea with a dilemma, and a dispute over personal terms will ultimately lead to Sancho returning to Manchester United.
So, who will be there to pick up the pieces? With United unlikely to entertain a revival, Sancho is bound to seek an alternative route for potential rejuvenation.
Here are five clubs that could sign the 25-year-old this summer.
Borussia Dortmund
Sancho offered signs of life on loan at BVB last season. / IMAGO/Revierfoto
Ah, Dortmund. There’s always Dortmund.
Sancho earned his major break in the Ruhr region, with his dazzling form eventually evolving him into a £73 million asset. However, Erik ten Hag failed to set up his shiny new toy for success at Old Trafford and the player himself struggled to deal with the absence of space supplied by the Premier League.
Sancho’s first two-and-a-half years at United were bereft of memorable moments, and Dortmund offered the winger an olive branch midway through the 2023–24 season by agreeing to sign him on loan for the remaining months of the campaign.
While it was clear that he’d lost a step, Sancho showed during Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final that he could still hang with the very best. He was lauded for his performance in the semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain before his team were beaten by Real Madrid at Wembley.
Despite his on-field upsurge, Dortmund opted against signing him due to the finances involved and his reported off-field mishaps, including poor training performances. Now that he’s available again, the German club will inevitably be linked. However, Sancho’s second stint with the club may have cost him another opportunity to shine at Signal Iduna Park.
Bayer Leverkusen
Erik ten Hag has succeeded Xabi Alonso in Leverkusen. / IMAGO/PA Images
Okay, so a third Dortmund stint may be off the cards for Sancho, but might the man who oversaw his Manchester United arrival be willing to team up with him again?
There have been reports of Bayer Leverkusen, now led by Erik ten Hag, making a move, but surely the Dutchman’s presence has reduced the chances of the German club making a play for the Englishman?
While Sancho was signed under Ten Hag’s watch at Old Trafford, the pair later had a very public feud at the start of the 2023–24 season which led to the winger’s Dortmund loan in January. Sancho returned to United for preseason last summer and their relationship may have improved before he left for Chelsea, but the pair won’t be writing to one another at Christmas.
At the start of a new job, Ten Hag is unlikely to sign someone who will constantly remind him of a bleaker time. Sancho, meanwhile, surely won’t want to play for a manager who’s already failed to get anything close to the best out of him.
Juventus were linked when Thiago Motta was in charge. / IMAGO/IPA Sport
Plenty has changed in Turin since Juventus were linked with a move for Sancho last summer. The Old Lady was set to embark on an exciting new dawn with Thiago Motta at the helm, but the Italian failed to last his debut campaign.
Juve cut ties with Motta long before the season drew to a close, and they turned to the underrated Igor Tudor to put out a few fires. Their search for a long-term Motta successor has been pretty humiliating so far, and there’s every chance Tudor remains in charge.
If three-at-the-back advocate Tudor remains, Juventus won’t be going near Sancho. You can imagine those two butting heads.
There’s scope for Sancho, who struggles to burst beyond players but remains a technically sound winger capable of creating a yard of separation with a subtle move, to thrive in Italy, but which clubs would take him? His lofty wage demands are one issue, but Sancho’s not exactly a player the likes of Antonio Conte and Max Allegri will be chomping at the bit to work with.
Newcastle United
Newcastle are in the market for a winger. / IMAGO/IPA Sport
Sancho wasn’t bad during his loan spell at Chelsea, but much of 2024–25 seemingly drifted him by. His stock didn’t take much of a hit, and there will be some clubs who will continue to be tempted based on what he often produced at Dortmund.
While a move abroad seems likely, Sancho‘s Premier League career isn’t dead yet. There may be a couple of clubs, if they can negotiate an amicable deal financially, willing to take a punt on the Englishman.
One of those is Newcastle United, who have seemingly missed out on Bryan Mbeumo to the Red Devils and are certainly in the market for another winger despite Jacob Murphy’s career year. If there’s a manager you’d fancy to get a tune out of Sancho, it’s Eddie Howe.
If he can get Murphy looking like a competent footballer and some, he’ll surely be able to work some magic with the gifted Sancho.
Saudi Pro League
Al Hilal and Al Ahli are two clubs backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. / IMAGO/Ali Issa
This looks like where Sancho could be heading. While exact figures haven’t been disclosed, you have to think the winger was demanding flat-out silly money from Chelsea to sign permanently this summer.
The 25-year-old signed a contract with Man Utd worth a reported £250,000-a-week in 2021.
Sancho’s body of work over the past four years means no clubs in Europe would be willing to offer him that sort of money, and If he doesn’t lessen his wage demands, Saudi Arabia seems like the only option for the Englishman.
The four PIF-backed Saudi Pro League clubs have cash to burn, and they’re desperate to land a big name or two this summer. Interest is surely bound to arrive from the Middle East, but does Sancho, at 25, want to take such a step at this stage of his career? It may be his only choice.
Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/jadon-sancho-potential-destinations-five-clubs-that-could-sign-man-utd-winger-41201335
