Rob Dawson
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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Manchester United are still working on Jadon Sancho‘s exit, sources have told ESPN, despite Erik ten Hag’s claim that he would be happy for the England forward to stay at Old Trafford.
United remain in talks with Chelsea over a deal for Sancho, although there is no guarantee an agreement will be reached before the transfer deadline on Friday night.
Juventus have also shown interest in the 24-year-old, but after making progress during talks on Wednesday, negotiations have since stalled.
Ten Hag was asked about Sancho’s future at a news conference on Friday and suggested he could stay beyond the deadline.
“We are happy with him,” Ten Hag said. “We need a good squad, we need depth. We have to play many games until January. After the break we play every third day so we need options.”
Asked whether he expected Sancho to remain at Old Trafford, Ten Hag said: “As I know, yeah.”
Sancho hasn’t made a competitive appearance for United for more than a year after his pubic row with Ten Hag last season. He played a full part in United’s preseason tour of the U.S. but was omitted from the squad for the first two Premier League games against Fulham and Brighton.
United have been keen to secure a permanent exit for Sancho this summer but their valuation of around £40m has proven problematic.
Sources have told ESPN that the club are not ruling out agreeing a season-long loan deal with an option to make the move permanent next summer.