Update: Jadon Sancho to Chelsea transfer clause ‘triggered’ as Man Utd await final Enzo Maresca decision News

All the latest Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim gears up for a busy summer transfer window

Manchester United have been given a major boost to their hopes of offloading Jadon Sancho. The 24-year-old winger joined Chelsea on loan at the end of the summer transfer window in search of greater first-team opportunities.

According to The Athletic, the obligation-to-buy clause in Sancho’s deal – worth £25m – has been triggered following the Blues’ 2-1 win over Fulham. The report states that the clause required Chelsea to finish 14th or above in the Premier League this season to make a permanent move possible.

After storming past Marco Silva’s side at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, Enzo Maresca’s side are mathematically guaranteed to rank in the top 12. The Athletic add that Chelsea can pull out of the deal by paying a penalty fee, valued at £5m.

As it stands, it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues will take up the offer. Sancho enjoyed a brilliant start to life at Stamford Bridge, providing an assist in each of his first three appearances.

Showering him with praise following his Chelsea debut against Bournemouth in September, Maresca said: “Very happy, very happy for him. He was very good. I have a feeling that Jadon is a guy that needs love.

“This is what I thought when I spoke with him before he joined us. Also, I know he has the desire to show the player he is, but for me, it is just to enjoy football.

“This is the reason why they play. Jadon helped us a lot, but what he did tonight is exactly what we expected from him. As I said, I know Jadon very well because I watched him many times in the past and I know what he can give us.”

The England international later helped Maresca’s side go on a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, with goals against Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. Then, Chelsea went five matches without a victory, and Sancho seemed to lose his confidence.

“The only thing we said to Jadon, and all our offensive players, is that we need more, in terms of numbers, goals and assists,” said Maresca. “So Jadon, in the last games, is doing better.

“But we need goals and assists from Nico [Jackson], from Cole [Palmer], from Noni [Madueke], from Pedro [Neto], from Enzo [Fernandez], who is doing well, from the ones that arrive in the opposite box.”

Sancho went 16 games without finding the net before ending his drought in a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town earlier this month. The United loanee scored a brilliant goal to salvage a crucial point for the Blues in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

With five games remaining, Chelsea are sixth in the English top-flight; just three points separate Nottingham Forest in third and Aston Villa in seventh. Meanwhile, United are 14th and 10 points from a top 10 finish.

If the west Londoners pull the plug on a deal for Sancho, he’ll face an uncertain future at Old Trafford. Speaking to BBC Sport last month, Sir Jim Ratcliffe questioned why United signed the winger from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for £73m.

The British billionaire said: “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho.

“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer. It takes time for us to move away from the past into a new place in the future.”