Jadon Sancho. (Jonas Ekströmer/TT News)
Napoli are pursuing a deal for Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho, but the player will have to take a pay cut to complete the move. Sky Sports’s Darmesh Sheth has reported that the Serie A champions have contacted Sancho’s representatives over personal terms, and will launch a formal approach to United in the coming days if a move becomes realistic.
Napoli cannot however pay the player’s current salary and would require the player to reduce his wage demands. The player is reportedly keen on the move and the pay cut.
Sancho spent last season on loan at Chelsea, making 31 Premier League appearances and scoring three goals.
He also helped the club win the UEFA Conference League, coming on a second half substitute and scoring a goal as the Blues defeated Real Betis 4-1 in the final. Chelsea however opted against making the move permanent, and in early June paid the £5 million penalty to United to avoid signing him.
United prefer to sell the player permanently this summer rather than loan him out again, and it is thought their valuation is around £25m. Sancho has just one year remaining on his contract.
Sancho open to Napoli move
Napoli is looking to go from strength to strength after securing their second Scudetto in three years. Antonio Conte’s side have already signed Man City legend Kevin De Bruyne as a free agent and are also tracking Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
They are now hoping to add Sancho to their ranks as well. The Italians already boast a lengthy list of former Premier League talent including Sancho’s ex Man United teammate Scott McTominay.
Romelu Lukaku, Philip Billing, Billy Gilmour, and Andre-Frank Anguissa complete the list of Napoli players who once plied their trade in the Premier League. Manager Antonio Conte also held Premier League stints with Chelsea and Tottenham.
Sancho will be looking to rediscover the form that once saw him so highly coveted. He joined United after shining brightly at Dortmund.
He scored 38 goals in 104 appearances for Dortmund before joining United in a £73 million deal in 2021. Despite flashes of promise, Sancho so far has failed to replicate that form and has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
A brief loan return to Dortmund in 2023 as well as last season’s Chelsea loan has seen him show glimpses once more and the 25 year old will be hoping to play his way into the England set up ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
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