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Jadon Sancho looks to be on his way out at Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea are one of the many clubs interested in signing the England international. That is hardly surprising.
But what is intriguing in Goal’s Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella’s latest report is that not only are the Blues one of the two teams far ahead of others (“watching from afar”), but that we’re willing to break the club record for transfer fees paid in order to get the 19-year-old former Watford and Manchester City academy youngster.
Chelsea paid €80m for Kepa Arrizabalaga two summers ago, although four of the club’s six most expensive signings of all time have happened in the last two years — Pulisic (€64m), Jorginho (€57m), Kovacic (€45m) — reflecting current market conditions as well.
The Jadon Sancho transfer battle looks set to be between two clubs and Chelsea are certainly interested https://t.co/SrpNqRqM61 #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 4, 2019
Having made a name for himself across Europe after leaving Manchester City at such an early age, Sancho's time at Dortmund seems to be coming to an end.
He was substituted inside of 36 minutes against Bayern and that certainly didn't fit well with him. On top of that, Dortmund manager, Lucien Favre called him out for not being good enough, and then he was fined for being late to training. That’s not exactly the most professional behaviour, but it’s certainly not unheard of. Similar antics were used by Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when they were trying to force their way out of Dortmund, or Thibaut Courtois, for example, when he was trying to force his way out of Chelsea.
Jadon Sancho was benched by Lucien Favre because he was late for Borussia Dortmund's team meeting on Tuesday, according to Bild. #BVB
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) November 28, 2019
Sportschau indicating Jadon Sancho not only was late to the team meeting, but also the team breakfast and training too. #BVB
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) November 28, 2019
(Thanks to @Ravenblade86 for the heads-up)
What puts Chelsea in a good position is our apparent willingness to break the bank and pay an outrageous amount that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur or Bayern Munich cannot or aren’t willing to match. Combine that with Sancho’s Chelsea fandom and friendships, the space that will be freed up by the departures of Pedro and maybe Willian as well (unlike Manchester City or Liverpool, who are chock-full of wingers in their prime), not to mention our youth revolution and advantageous league position over, say, Manchester United, and we should be able to successfully conclude this transfer, if we’re truly interested.