Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq presented an offer to Manchester United for Jadon Sancho but it did not meet their valuation, it has been reported.
Despite the transfer window being shut in England, Sancho's future at United has been called into question after manager Erik ten Hag openly criticised his performances in training following the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Sancho hit back with a statement of his own but has been heavily linked with Al Ettifaq, managed by Liverpool and England legend Steven Gerrard.
Some outlets have denied that a proposal was on the table at all, but Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail says the club did try and make a loan deal happen on Thursday, the final day for transfers to be completed in Saudi.
Advert
It's said United were happy to let the former Borussia Dortmund move on loan but wanted a £50 million obligation to buy which priced out Al Ettifaq.
The Dammam-based outfit, not one of the club's backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), have been extremely busy in the transfer market and snapped up Jordan Henderson, Moussa Dembele and Jack Hendry earlier in the window.
They have since concluded business with the captures of Georginio Wijnaldum and Demarai Gray.
Advert
Although he wasn't put up for sale, United were prepared to let Sancho move on and it's claimed they would have listened to offers around £45 million for him.
It would be a fairly sizable loss on the £73 million they paid for him in 2021 but Sancho's stock has fallen after just 12 goals and six assists in a United shirt.
Ten Hag had said on Sunday that Sancho wasn't selected because he did not meet the levels expected in training, but Sancho took to social media to deny the comments made by his manager.
Advert
He wrote: "Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.
“I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into, I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!
“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team. I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and I am grateful to do so, which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”
Ten Hag is set to hold clear-the-air talks with Sancho amid tension between them.
Topics: Jadon Sancho, Erik Ten Hag, Saudi Pro League, Saudi Arabia, Manchester United
Josh Lawless