Aston Villa plotting shock late bid for Man Utd flop Jadon Sancho

Aston Villa are plotting a shock bid for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, according to sensational reports.

Sancho, 23, has failed to live up to expectations since his high profile £70 move to United just two years ago, and has now been linked with an exit.

The winger made just 18 Premier League starts for Erik ten Hag last season, and spent three months of the campaign away from the squad, spending time with an individual training coach in the Netherlands focus on his physical and mental health.

Despite showing fleeting moments of his former self at Old Trafford, Sancho looks to have reached a cross-roads in his career and could be sold this summer, claim the Guardian.

United reportedly turned down Borussia Dortmund's loan offer for Sancho in July, but it is thought the club would be open to permanent offers in the region of £45 million.

And Aston Villa have added Sancho to their list of summer options, according to Caught Offside, with further unnamed Premier League sides also interested in the Englishman.

It remains to be seen whether Villa will launch a formal bid for Sancho, but the report mentions that he could be a replacement for current left-sided winger Leon Bailey, who has less than two years remaining on his contract.

However, Ten Hag is said to want to invest any money earned from a deal back into his squad, meaning Villa must act fast to allow United time to seek out a replacement.

According to Manchester Evening News, the United boss's patience with Sancho playing as a winger has "snapped", with Ten Hag trialling him as a striker during pre-season.

Although the new arrival of Rasmus Hojlund could damage Sancho's hopes of playing regular first-team football at Old Trafford next season, with Marcus Rashford also ahead of him in the pecking order.

So far, Sancho has made managed 55 Premier League appearances for United, scoring just nine goals. In comparison, Sancho played 104 Bundesliga games for Dortmund, netting 38 times.

Topics: Jadon Sancho, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Football, Premier League, Transfers, Erik Ten Hag, Unai Emery

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno