Manchester United Football Club
Tightly welcome Sancho to join, this transfer drama is about to come to an end. According to the British media disclosure, the two sides have reached a consensus on the transfer fee of about 77 million pounds, just waiting for the weekend to complete the final negotiations on the details of the payment, the England side of the fast horse is about to become a member of the Red Devils.
Negotiations between Manchester United and Dortmund for Sancho have taken place over the last year so far, and now the 21-year-old England star is expected to finalize his move this weekend. It is reported that the final deal could be a fixed transfer fee of £73 million plus a £4 million floating clause.
Sancho is currently with the England national team preparing for their Euro 16 match against Germany, and despite playing just six minutes in the group stage, news of him joining Manchester United has leaked early. Sancho himself has revealed to his national teammates that he is heading to Old Trafford. And negotiations between him and his agent Emeka Obasi and United on a personal contract and transfer commission have long been finalized.
British transfer expert Tom McDermott has revealed that Sancho has told his teammates that he is bound to join Manchester United this summer and that the transfer has effectively been finalized, with differences between United and Dortmund over the floating clause resolved.
Meanwhile, Sancho is no longer seen on Dortmund's new season posters, signaling that his departure is final.
The UK's Manchester Evening News reports that despite the completion of transfer talks, the actual joining of Sancho to United may have to wait, with an unveiling expected in the next two weeks. The paper claims that United and Dortmund have long agreed on a fixed transfer fee of €85m (£73m), but the German wants United to offer a €15m floating clause.
The two sides also negotiated on the payment structure and the terms of activation of the floating clause, with Dortmund preferring United's Champions League win as one of the conditions to agreeing to Sancho's election to the top three of the Ballon d'Or before paying the bonus.
In the end, United locked up Sancho for £77 million, a price that saves over £30 million from last year's £108 million. Once Sancho's transfer is complete, United will be fully committed to the introduction of a new center back, and it is reported that United has also made some progress in its bid for Real Madrid iron defender Varane.
Solskjaer is eager for a strong center back to partner captain Maguire, and Varane, who has won La Liga 3 times and the Champions League 4 times, is undoubtedly the ideal candidate. However, United's initial offer of £50 million was rejected by Real Madrid, who asked for £80 million. The Manchester Evening News says there has been a new development in Varane's transfer drama this week, with Florentino Perez stating that he cannot rule out the possibility of Varane returning to the team, but insisting that he has not yet received an official offer.
Florentino noted that Varane's choice will determine whether he stays or goes: "I've seen a lot of news in the papers about Varane leaving, but I don't know anything about it. We haven't spoken to him about it because he's playing in the Europa League. He has one year left on his contract and we haven't received any offers for Varane. He is a gentleman and if he wants to stay he will stay, if not he will leave."
Manchester United Football Club
92 star Nicky Butt believes Solskjaer needs to sign Varane if he wants to win the title: "I think United have to win the title next season. The key is to bring in the right players to give you the ability to challenge for trophies. United is a club that aims to win the title and can't afford to be without it for a long time. The most important issue I think United need to deal with this summer is the center back position and the need to find a partner for Maguire. It has to be someone who can be compatible with him. You spend so much money on Maguire, you need to find someone who can partner him. He's the captain of the team and Lindelof's characteristics are so similar to his that the team needs new center backs with pace and who can put forward attacks at the back."
On Varane's age of 28, Bart doesn't think it's a problem: "Everyone talks about Varane. I know he's a little bit older than most people want, but you think back to Sheringham, United signed him when he was 32 and he helped the team win the treble. If I could buy Varane, I would do whatever it takes."
