Borussia Dortmund are reportedly keen to bring Jadon Sancho back to the club on a free transfer from Manchester United. Sancho, 25, sees his United contract expire this summer and is unlikely to receive a fresh deal. The 23-time England international is currently on loan at Aston Villa, marking his third temporary departure from Old Trafford since his £73million move in 2021.

Sancho’s move to Villa was a straightforward loan, with no purchase option attached. While Villa boss Unai Emery recently discussed retaining the forward, Dortmund are considering offering him a contract too. The Times claim that, having opted against pursuing any wingers last summer, owing to Nico Kovac’s preference for a 3-4-2-1 system, the Dortmund boss has changed his mind and sanctioned a move for Sancho.

The former Dortmund player would, nevertheless, need to accept a substantial reduction on his £300,000-a-week salary at United to facilitate a return to the Signal Iduna Park. Sancho established his reputation with the Bundesliga outfit, who signed him from Manchester City in 2017.

Kovac’s team have funds available for the summer transfer window following their decision to allow the contracts of Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule and Salih Ozcan to expire. Dortmund will consequently save approximately £21million in yearly wages and remain hopeful they can persuade Sancho, who is currently able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club.

He returned to Dortmund for half a season in 2024 after being excluded by former United boss Erik ten Hag. Sancho contributed to their Champions League final run, though a permanent transfer failed to materialise.

A similar situation unfolded when Sancho moved to Chelsea on loan last season, with the Blues even paying a £5million penalty fee to avoid making the deal permanent. Villa landed him on transfer deadline day in September, yet he’s struggled to make his mark.

Across 29 appearances in all competitions, Sancho has managed one goal and one assist. Emery, however, recognises his potential.

When questioned in February about potentially signing Sancho permanently, the Villa boss responded: “Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. Hopefully, he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing.

“He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here. If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him.”