Sancho's fall from grace - £73m fee to Chelsea paying not to sign him

In the summer of 2020, Jadon Sancho had his pick of Europe's top clubs.

The England winger had not long turned 20 and, after registering 17 goals and 16 assists for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, he was considered one of the game's most exciting young talents.

He chose Manchester United but they had to wait until the following year to complete the deal after wrongly taking Dortmund's deadline to complete a deal as a negotiating tactic.

Eventually, though, United got their man for a fee of £73m in July 2021 with Sancho calling it "a dream come true" and there was an expectation that the former Manchester City academy player would take the Premier League by storm.

Four years and two loan spells later, Sancho's career is at a crossroads with Chelsea willing to pay United £5m not to sign him permanently.

BBC Sport looks at how he got to this point...

That Sancho's United career did not get off to the best of starts was not helped by the side's struggles under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Norwegian was sacked in November 2021 and, as things failed to improve under interim boss Ralf Ragnick, Sancho ended his first season with just five goals and three assists in all competitions.

Erik ten Hag was appointed in the summer of 2022 and while the hope was that things would get better for the Old Trafford club and Sancho, there was a recurring issue that did not help the player endear himself to the new boss.

Sancho's timekeeping had been a problem during his time in Germany but his performances on the pitch meant Dortmund were more willing to allow a little leeway.

The same was not true with England and, despite an excellent first pre-season under Ten Hag, neither was it at United once Sancho's form nosedived in the autumn, after it became obvious he would miss out on selection for the World Cup in Qatar.

The problem of lateness is one that had caused Sancho issues for a number of years and he - along with team-mate Phil Foden - was dropped from an England Under-19 match against Latvia as a disciplinary measure having been late for training.

Entering his third season back in England, expectations for Sancho had already dropped significantly.

United had signed him to play on the right wing, despite his preference being to play on the left - a position that was locked down by Marcus Rashford at that point - and his underwhelming performances meant he was no longer a guaranteed starter.

But when the London-born forward was left out of the squad for a loss at Arsenal in September 2023, Ten Hag was asked about his absence after the game.

"Because of his performance in training, we didn't select him," the Dutchman said bluntly. "You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United."

Sancho did not accept the reasoning and in a now-deleted social media post, hit back almost immediately.

"I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue," he posted. "I have conducted myself very well in training this week.

"I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into. I've been a scapegoat for a long time, which isn't fair."

A stand-off ensued with Ten Hag - who had previously questioned Sancho's "fitness state" - demanding an apology and, despite numerous pleas from team-mates and United officials, Sancho refusing to provide one.

Sancho's steadfast refusal to apologise to Ten Hag led to him being frozen out at United and it was little surprise when he left the club, albeit only on loan, in January 2024.

A return to Dortmund for the second half gave the winger the chance to rediscover his best form - and rehabilitate his reputation - in a familiar environment.

"It felt like coming home," he said of being back in the Dortmund dressing room.

Without ever reaching the levels of his first stint, Sancho certainly looked more comfortable as he helped the Bundesliga side reach the Champions League final - where they were beaten by Real Madrid.

Three goals and three assists in 21 games might not be the most eye-catching of statistics but given he had not played for a number of months prior to the switch, it was no surprise that it took him a bit of time to get back up to speed.

Former Tottenham and Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann said he "had a rough time finding his rhythm again and settling back again" but by the final games of the season was "looking good and looking sharp".

But the finances involved meant a permanent return to Signal Iduna Park was always highly unlikely so back to Manchester he went.

With Ten Hag still in charge at Old Trafford last summer, there was little prospect of Sancho sticking around and he joined Chelsea on loan on 31 August.

As part of the deal, the Blues agreed to an obligation to buy Sancho for a fee of around £25m - if they were to finish higher than 14th in the Premier League - or pay a £5m clause to get out of the deal.

Chelsea did not pay a loan fee for the player and covered just half of his reported £300,000-a-week wages.

Sancho finished the season well and scored in the final as Chelsea beat Real Betis to win the Uefa Conference League.

However, it was a mixed campaign overall and he ended it with five goals and 10 assists in 42 games.

As such, the Stamford Bridge side have chosen to £5m to avoid signing him - his wages rather than the £25m fee believed to be the primary reason - and Sancho is on his way back to United again.

What comes next remains to be seen but should the 25-year-old find himself on the move again, his options are likely to be rather different to five years ago.