Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has ruled out the possibility of signing Jadon Sancho. The former Dortmund, Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa forward is without a club after his contract at Old Trafford expired this summer.
The 26-year-old was unable to find a new team during the summer transfer window, despite becoming a free agent. Sancho struggled to impress during his five-year spell at United, leading to loan spells at Dortmund, Chelsea and Villa.
No permanent move materialised
Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, none of those clubs chose to sign him permanently. Chelsea, who had an obligation to buy the winger, even paid a £5million penalty to send him back to Manchester in 2025.
The Manchester City academy graduate then went on to spend a season at Villa Park, where he struggled for regular game time under Unai Emery. Sancho returned to United after last season and the club chose not to offer him a contract extension.
Kovac's stance on Sancho
Speculation has intensified in recent weeks, with Sancho linked to several clubs. A return to Dortmund had not been ruled out either, according to German outlet Bild. However, those hopes appear to have been dashed by Kovac.
Speaking before the 3-0 win over SC Paderborn on Saturday, he said: "I think we had a really good transfer summer. We're very well positioned. The squad is already very large. We have 26 outfield players, many of them young."
Regarding the possible signing of Sancho, he added: "Therefore, we don't need to concern ourselves with that."
Options dwindling
Dortmund had to react at short notice after new signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered a cruciate ligament tear. That raised hopes of Sancho returning to the Signal Iduna Park. But the German Bundesliga club secured the services of English forward Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal on deadline day instead.
It means that Sancho's options are now rapidly dwindling. Clubs in Turkey, the Saudi Pro League and the UAE are said to be exploring a deal for the winger. Sancho has also been offered the chance to join Arabian Falcons, the Dubai-based side managed by former Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who is enjoying a winning start to the new campaign.
United signed Sancho for £73m in 2021 after he had established himself as one of Europe's brightest talents. Clubs were queuing up for his signature, and it looked as though the Red Devils had secured a major coup. However, United never saw a return on that investment. The Englishman scored just 12 goals and registered six assists in 83 appearances during a spell that never got going.
