Chelsea have pulled out of a permanent move for Jadon Sancho and will pay a £5m penalty to return the winger to Manchester United, ending his brief and turbulent loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
The 25-year-old joined last summer after a fallout with Erik ten Hag but failed to convince Chelsea to activate the £25m obligation tied to their top-14 league finish.
Talks over personal terms broke down, with Sancho unwilling to take a pay cut from his £300,000-a-week United contract.
Despite finishing with five goals and 10 assists in 42 games and scoring in the Conference League final, Sancho is unlikely to feature in Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign this month.
Instead, the Blues are now pursuing AC Milan and France No.1 Mike Maignan.
The 29-year-old is open to a move, and Chelsea see him as a long-term solution to their persistent goalkeeping issues, having cycled through Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy, Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, and Filip Jorgensen in recent years.
