Chelsea will pay a £5 million penalty to Manchester United after an agreement could not be reached over personal terms to turn the loan deal of Jadon Sancho into a permanent move, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.
The Red Devils attacker joined the Blues last summer with an obligation to sign him for £25m included in the deal, but he will be leaving Chelsea when his contract ends on June 30.
The Stamford Bridge club faced a £5m penalty charge if they refused to sign Sancho permanently having not paid an initial loan fee for him, and that payment will now be incurred.
The 25-year-old has played his last game for Man United having angered the fans and club with some of his comments on social media since leaving, but he has suitors in the Premier League and across Europe and will be taking his time before making a decision.
He weighed in with ten assists and five goals in 42 games across all competitions for Chelsea this season and could fetch the Red Devils around £30m this summer.
They signed him for £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, and he has scored 12 goals and assisted six times in 83 appearances, spending time on loan back at the Bundesliga club and with the Blues.
Sancho fell out with former Man United manager Erik ten Hag back in September 2023 after calling the Dutchman a liar on social media, and he did not play for the club for the rest of that season, moving to Dortmund on loan in January 2024.
He will not be missed by the club and may need to lower his demands to get a suitable move this summer as he eyes a return to the England national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
