Jadon Sancho: Who Could Replace Him at Old Trafford?
Manchester United have received a transfer bid for Jadon Sancho from an unnamed Saudi Arabia club, according to recent reports.
The England winger, who had a well-publicised spat earlier this week with manager Erik Ten Hag, finds himself on the fringes at Old Trafford and was recently dropped for his training performances.
Sancho then claimed on social media that he was being made a ‘scapegoat’ and hit back at the Dutch manager.
The Saudi Arabia transfer window ends on the 7th of September, so if this transfer is to happen, Sancho would have to act fast – while another possible destination is Turkey, who’s window ends on the 15th.
The Red Devils are backing Ten Hag through this saga, and some reports are suggesting that Sancho’s teammates are not big fans of him either.
If Manchester United cashed in on the 23-year-old, who was signed for £73 million and has 12 goals in 82 appearances, who could they replace him with?
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
United were linked with the Georgian winger before the Sancho drama unfolded, and the Napoli forward is highly regarded by both clubs, and by fans and journalists.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who’s attacking talents have earned him the nickname of Kvaradona, won the Russian Premier League Best Young Player award twice whilst at Rubin Kazan, and following a stint at Dinamo Batumi of Georgia, signed for Napoli for around €12 million in 2022.
In his debut season, he scored 14 goals in 43 games, and was the top player for assister in Serie A with 10, winning the Serie A MVP Award – as well as being named as the Champions League best young player.
The 22-year-old has 22 caps for his national side Georgia, and has been linked with a host of top clubs, Newcastle United apparently having a €90 million bid rejected.
The winger’s contract situation at Napoli is complicated, so may give fans of the Red Devils hope – but his apparent €100 million price tag could put them off.
Kingsley Coman
Kingsley Coman is another player linked to Manchester United, and a host of Premier League clubs have been linked to him over the past few years.
The Bayern Munich winger, who has played for Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, and has a wealth of experience making 271 appearances for the German giants.
The French winger has won Ligue 1 title twice, Serie A twice and the Bundesliga eight times; and was runner-up with France in the 2022 World Cup.
Coman rejected two offers from Saudi Arabia and potential interest from Manchester City this summer, and remains a core part of the Bayern team.
Rafael Leão
24-year-old Rafael Leão is considered one of the hottest properties in world football currently as he stars for AC Milan on the left-wing.
The former Sporting CP and Lille winger has shone in Italy. Especially, during the 2021/22 season where he scored 11 goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances in Serie A, winning the MVP award as AC Milan won the title for the first time in 11 years.
Leão has 19 caps for Portugal, was given the famous number 10 shirt for Milan and extended his contract at the start of the transfer window.
Would the pull of a big club in England or Spain be too hard to resist for Leao?
Kaoru Mitoma
Ask anyone a year ago who Kaoru Mitoma was, and hardly anyone would know of the Japanese winger.
However, most clubs were linked with the Brighton and Hove Albion winger this summer, as he exploded in the FA Cup and the Premier League, scoring winners against Liverpool in the fourth round and against Bournemouth in the league.
In fact, his seven goals from the wing surpassed Japanese legends Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki for most goals in a single season by a Japanese player.
Signed for just £2.7 million in 2021, Brighton fended off interest from Manchester City and Arsenal for the 26-year-old, but he is sure to join the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo in big-money deals soon.
Ansu Fati
We return to Brighton for their recent loanee, this time. Ansu Fati was wanted by Manchester United and would be a good replacement for Sancho should he leave the club.
The Barcelona star, with over 110 appearances at just 20-years-old, is widely considered to be one of the biggest potential stars in the world.
Fati was seeking more game-time and wanted to leave Barcelona on loan, and the explosive forward rejected Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to join the Brighton project – but what is to say that he feels he won’t get game time when he rejoins the Spanish club?
He would be an expensive transfer, but for a player who has unlimited potential, could it really work out? Anything is possible, considering his transfer on deadline day.
Who would you want to replace Jadon Sancho at Manchester United?
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