MANCHESTER UNITED face competition from Real Madrid for the signature of Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho, according to reports.
The Red Devils have been chasing the 20-year-old for some time, and believe they are in pole position to sign the £100million ace despite the coronavirus pandemic.
But it appears that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are set to have to battle it out with an old transfer window adversary.
According to the Daily Star, Real Madrid believe that they can hijack Sancho’s proposed return to Manchester.
United and Madrid have quarrelled over transfers before, having locked horns for some of the world’s biggest stars.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s United reported the LaLiga giants over their courting of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, with the Scot even remarking: “You don’t think we’d get into a contract with that mob, do you?
“Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t sell them a virus.”
And six years after the Portuguese’s eventual move to the Bernabeu, the pair clashed again over David de Gea’s failed move to the Spanish capital.
United did at least manage to beat them to the £89million signing of Paul Pogba back in 2016.
And this time around, Sancho appears to be eager to move to Old Trafford, with The Athletic claiming that he is “very open” to the transfer.
Marcus Rashford last week revealed on a Bleacher Report Instagram Live that he hopes to play with Sancho, saying: “Hopefully we can all play together, that would be good.
“He plays off the cuff, he’s creative and imaginative, these are the things you need to be world class.”
Juan Mata also revealed his admiration for Sancho when asked about United’s potential move for him, saying: “We all know that he’s a great player.
“He’s having a fantastic season at Borussia, but you know it’s not my responsibility to speak about those things.”
And some fans believe that the England winger himself has dropped a hint about his future – in an unusual manner.
Sancho was answering questions from his 3.9m Instagram followers when one wrote: “Sip water if you’re joining United.”
And after appearing to consider his actions, the Englishman took a huge gulp from his bottle.
One United fan quickly tweeted: “IT’S HAPPENING!” while another wrote: “It was always on the cards.”
Dortmund appear to already be considering replacements for their star No7, with £35million Valencia star Ferran Torres on their radar.
Sancho has wowed fans in Germany with his scintillating performances – becoming a global superstar since joining from Manchester City as a highly-rated prospect in 2017.
He has scored 31 goals and assisted a further 42 in his 90 appearances for BVB.
