Man United sitting on Jadon Sancho transfer timebomb with Sir Jim Ratcliffe timeline explained

It is almost three years since Manchester United signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. Now, both parties are determined to find a way out of the contract he penned in July 2021, and the relationship is almost entirely broken.

For Sancho, who arrived as a heralded final piece of the jigsaw - alongside Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo - the move back to England hasn't worked. He has played just 82 games for United, so far bringing his cost per appearance to an eyewatering £890,000, scoring 12 times in total (£5.8million per goal). Neither metric looks likely to increase.

A split at this stage is on the cards and appears to benefit everyone, especially now Erik ten Hag has seen his contract at the club extended. But while there may well be no shortage of interest in Sancho, getting a deal across the line is easier said than done.

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Not only are United looking to recoup a still significant fee - thought to be around £40million - but he has large wages and everyone knows that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are hoping to rid themselves of Sancho. In a market easily swayed by external forces and pressures, this certainly doesn't help the bargaining position.

What makes this even tougher is Sancho's contractual situation. On the face of it, he still has plenty of time to run. There are almost two years to go on the initial agreement, and therefore pre-contract negotiations with teams outside of England are still 18 months away, with January 2026 the first time he can start those talks.

That is nearly a whole two summers