Borussia Dortmund are interested in re-signing Jadon Sancho.
Sancho, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, will be out of contract at parent club Manchester United in June, having moved to Old Trafford from Dortmund for €85million (£73m; $97.9m at current rates) in July 2021.
Sancho, 25, initially returned to the Westfalenstadion on loan in January 2024 for a six-month period during which he was part of the club’s unlikely run to the Champions League final. Dortmund lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley, a game Sancho started.
Now, Dortmund are eager to bring him back permanently, with the forward indicating that he would be open to a return to Germany and willing to accept a reduction in wages to make that happen, according to sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships.
Dortmund are planning major squad changes this summer. They have already announced that a group of high earners, including Julian Brandt and Niklas Sule, will not be offered contract extensions and will be leaving on free transfers at the end of the season.
Sancho reached the Champions League final during his last spell at Dortmund (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
In addition, there have been discussions internally about reverting to a winger-based formation that would suit Sancho’s style of play. Dortmund have several talented youngsters, including Samuele Inacio, 17, and Mathis Albert, 16, who are considered elite prospects and more naturally equipped to play out wide, and the change would be partly aimed at maximising the potential of those two players.
Niko Kovac’s team currently employ a 3-4-2-1, drawing their width from the wing-back positions and using two attacking midfielders behind a centre-forward. However, with Brandt set for release and questions over whether centre-forward Serhou Guirassy will remain at the club beyond the summer, Kovac now has the opportunity to redraw his attack.
Sancho remains enormously popular in Dortmund. He joined the club from Manchester City as a 17-year-old, making his professional debut in the Bundesliga in 2017, before winning the DFB-Pokal in 2021, the first major trophy of his career.
His time in England has not been a success. Two of his five years at United have been spent on loan, the second of which — with Unai Emery’s Villa — has produced one goal in 29 appearances in all competitions.
Sancho is also attracting interest from Italy and Turkey, while Villa’s interest in signing him permanently is unclear. According to sources, the club’s summer transfer budgets will partially depend on where they finish the Premier League season and which European competition they qualify for.
United do retain the option to extend his contract on its current terms by a year, but sources say it is unlikely that will be activated.
Could Dortmund reignite Sancho’s career?
Anybody who saw Sancho play in Dortmund, the first or second time, would love to see it again.
He’s comfortable there. There’s great affection for him in the city and his reputation, while damaged in England, remains largely intact in Germany. Without question, the Bundesliga suits him. It remains the transitional league that he left and as a dynamic player who specialised in quick, impactful attacking decisions with the ball at his feet, it would still be an excellent theatre for his abilities.
And this is an interesting time in Dortmund. They have stabilised in recent seasons, largely thanks to the work of Kovac, and with the summer squad exodus planned, Champions League qualification for next season almost secured already, and a rebuild ahead, it would be an exciting time for a return and a great opportunity for Sancho to rediscover some form and re-establish some momentum in his career.
