Jadon Sancho is set to sign for Aston Villa in a deadline day transfer and an interesting clause in his Manchester United contract has come to light.
Sancho spent last season on loan at Chelsea, who had the option to buy him permanently for £25 million but decided against doing so and had to pay a £5 million penalty payment.
The former Borussia Dortmund star returned to United but it was made clear that he was not part of Ruben Amorim's plans and he, along with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony, trained away from the rest of the first-team group during pre-season.
Sancho was linked with the likes of Juventus, Napoli and Roma but rejected a transfer to the latter as he looked to explore further options presented.
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The 25-year-old's patience looks set to pay off as according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Villa are on the verge of an agreement which will see them secure Sancho's services on loan.
Only final formalities remain for the move to go through, with 80% of Sancho's wages being covered by Villa after their arrangement with United and Rashford last season.
Villa will also pay a loan fee, with the deal also including "achievable bonuses" which could result in the full salary being covered.
Sancho signed for United in a £73 million switch from Dortmund in 2021 and he is in the final year of a contract which runs until 2026.
However, as widely reported, United still have the option to extend Sancho's deal at Old Trafford until 2027 - which can help them recoup a transfer fee instead of losing the winger on a free.
Roma's unsuccessful offer for Sancho was said to be around £20 million - though the fee was not the sticking point.
Jadon Sancho to be part of Villa double deal
After a quiet summer which saw them make two signings, Villa are working tirelessly to strengthen their squad in the final hours of the window.
As well as Sancho, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Villa have a verbal agreement with Liverpool for midfielder Harvey Elliott.
Elliott is poised to join on loan, with Villa having an obligation to sign him permanently for a fee of £35 million.
Liverpool signed Elliott as a 16-year-old for a record compensation fee, with previous club Fulham including a substantial sell-on clause.
A favourite under Jurgen Klopp, he made 147 appearances and won six trophies at Anfield.
Topics: Manchester United, Jadon Sancho, Aston Villa
Josh Lawless