Account
Borussia Dortmund CEO Expects Jadon Sancho Exit Eventually Amid Transfer Rumours
August 14, 2019
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said he is aware Jadon Sancho will not stay at the Bundesliga club forever amid rumours linking the Englishman with Manchester United.
Sancho, 19, moved to Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017 after being denied first-team opportunities by manager Pep Guardiola.
In 2018-19, he enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists as BVB finished second in the Bundesliga:
He also earned a first call-up to the senior England side and now has six international caps.
Unsurprisingly, Sancho has been linked with some of the world's top clubs, including Manchester United by ESPN's Mark Ogden and Real Madrid by Bild (h/t AS).
Dortmund look to have kept hold of him at least for one more season, but Watzke is under no illusions that Sancho will stay at the Westfalenstadion forever, per Ruhr Nachrichten (h/t Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC):
"There aren't many 19-year-olds with such a potential. He is also not a player from the region or one who would have any connection to it. When you have a player like Jadon Sancho, you must reassess the situation every single year. Everything else would not be honest. If a foreign player is not convinced that the club is right for him at the exact time, it just does not make any sense."
Watzke further explained how he has warded off interest in Sancho: "A chief of one of the super clubs asked me back in spring if there was a chance [to sign Sancho], but I told him straight away he should forget about it, and he never contacted me again. He knew I meant what I said."
Sancho has a contract with Dortmund that runs to 2022, so the club are under no pressure to sell him.
He picked up where he left off in the season-opening German Super Cup earlier this month, scoring once and providing an assist as BVB beat Bayern Munich 2-0:
Dortmund kick off their new Bundesliga season on Saturday when they meet Augsburg.
After finishing two points behind champions Bayern last term, winning the Bundesliga title will surely be the No. 1 aim for Lucien Favre's side in the new campaign.
Sancho will have a big part to play for Dortmund in achieving that target, and if he enjoys another stellar season, there will likely be even more suitors for him next summer.