Manchester United have reportedly proposed a direct swap deal to Barcelona that would see out-of-favor forward Jadon Sancho and inconsistent winger Raphinha switch camps.
Manchester United Are Eager To Ship Jadon Sancho Off In January
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and 23-year-old forward Jadon Sancho had a rather public falling-out in September after the Dutchman elected not to pick the Englishman for a trip to Arsenal. Ten Hag cited Sancho’s training-field performance behind the snub, something the player rebutted on social media.
In the last three months since the incident, Sancho has not only not played, but has also not even trained with the first team. It is an open secret that United want to cut ties with the player as soon as possible, meaning there is a rather big chance that the former Borussia Dortmund player will switch clubs in the winter transfer window in January.
Barcelona Get The Opportunity To Sign Sancho
According to a report from Spanish outlet SPORT, Manchester United are also open to a complete swap deal and have given Barcelona the first opportunity to cash in. As per the aforementioned source, the Red Devils want to sign Barca’s 26-year-old winger Raphinha and will happily send Sancho to Catalonia to make it happen.
The Blaugrana have yet to rule on the matter and it is believed that Sporting Director Deco will be the one to make that call. Interestingly, Deco also served as Raphinha’s agent in the past, so the Portuguese is in a great position to make an informed decision.
Although Raphinha is still very much in Xavi‘s plans, he has not quite lived up to his billing since his €58 million ($62.47 million) switch from Leeds United in July 2022. After failing to attain consistency in his debut season, the Brazilian right winger spent the initial few weeks of the 2023-24 campaign on the treatment table, which has diluted his importance.
Raphinha, however, has shown positive sparks in the last few games to take his season tally to two goals and five assists in 15 games across competitions. Sancho, meanwhile, remains a wild card after being out of action for over three months. As things stand, it will be surprising if Barcelona agree to United’s alleged proposal and take a chance on Sancho in January.
