Chelsea will have to pay millions of pounds to Manchester United in a penalty clause if they pull out of their agreement to sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer.
Sancho joined Chelsea on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window with an obligation to buy him for £20m-£25m, depending on their league position, and providing they finished 14th or higher this season.
Enzo Maresca’s team are currently fourth, 15 points clear of 14th-place Tottenham, but doubts have emerged if Chelsea want to go through with the deal.
However, they would have to pay United a significant portion of the agreed transfer fee to back out of the deal and send the England winger back to Old Trafford.
Sancho has scored two goals in 29 games for Chelsea, but none in his last 19 appearances and he has not registered an assist for two months.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have agreed to sign the Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda and they have already bought the Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian, who will arrive at Stamford Bridge in the summer after being loaned back to Palmeiras.
Sancho, a £73m buy from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, has only made one appearance for United since August 2023.
Former manager Erik ten Hag exiled him from first-team training for four months that season before Sancho rejoined Dortmund on loan, helping them reach the Champions League final.
He came off the bench for United in this season’s Community Shield but then went on loan to Chelsea, with United paying a portion of his sizeable salary.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe named him last week among the big earners who are unavailable to manager Ruben Amorim while United, who need to sell in order to buy in the summer transfer market, were hoping to use the funds from his proposed move to Chelsea to strengthen.
