Bundesliga
MANCHESTER MISS DEADLINE FOR SANCHO DEAL
Manchester United have missed Borussia Dortmund’s deadline for the transfer of Jadon Sancho, with the English forward boarding the plane to the German club’s pre-season training camp in Switzerland on Monday morning.
According to UK’s Daily Mail, today, August 10, was Dortmund’s deadline for a deal going through for United’s top summer transfer target, with the Bundesliga runners-up ready to pull the plug on proceedings.
The German giants have made clear a willingness to sell Sancho to United though have stuck firm on a £108million valuation – of which United have so far failed to meet – and the 20-year-old has now been included in Dortmund’s squad for their pre-season tour this week.
Dortmund chiefs communicated to the Old Trafford hierarchy that they had until August 10 to trim the edges of a deal and have everything in place, ahead of Lucien Favre’s senior squad reconvening for pre-season preparations and planning for the campaign ahead, and now a potential deal is on the rocks.
The coronavirus pandemic and the collective global postponement of sport means a much smaller window exists for teams to get deals done and smoothed out before action returns.
A deal is yet to be agreed between the clubs, though it is understood it will include a large initial payment followed by a series of realistic clauses which the 20-year-old will trigger during his time at Old Trafford.
The difference between the two sides lies with the valuation on United’s side, with chief Ed Woodward looking for a reduced price due to the damaged financial climate caused by the pandemic.
Sancho still has two years remaining on his current deal meaning Dortmund are under no pressure to sell this summer, and are reportedly ready to pull out of the deal if United continue to stall – yet Woodward does not see the August 10 deadline as a potential deal breaker.
Alternatives to Sancho for United include Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman, and reports from Germany on Monday say that Juventus winger Douglas Costa is also being mooted as an option for the Red Devils.
The 20-year-old was back on home soil on Saturday night at a party hosted by famous rap duo Krept and Konan in the UK.
The excitement of United fans on social media grew after seeing Sancho enjoy a house party in the UK, particularly given Dortmund have a series of friendlies coming up.
The Bundesliga runners-up have their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday in Austria against SC Rheindorf Altach, but Sancho seems to have been given the weekend off given the social media videos which have gone viral of the England star dancing at the house party.
Dortmund had set the August 10 deadline because they want undisturbed preparation for the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.
The new campaign starts on 18 September, with the transfer deadline for international deals arriving on October 5.
In recent days, with Dortmund yet to hear from United, it was reported they have started to take steps to offer Sancho a bumper new deal and have him recommit to the Signal Iduna Park.
German publication Bild say Dortmund will try and tempt Sancho to stay with an enhanced deal on the £190,000-a-week he currently earns.
Ready to make a financial investment to keep hold of one of Europe’s most in-demand stars, Dortmund would reportedly cough up an additional £3.5million to top up Sancho’s annual wages.
This would deter a big-money move across the continent for at least another summer, although it has also emerged that Sancho has apparently already been included in a WhatsApp group with Manchester United players.
Sancho is well acquainted with several of the senior Red Devils, playing alongside the likes of Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Jesse Lingard with the England national team.
Should his deal go through, Sancho is tipped to immediately become one of the highest earners at Old Trafford, on a long-term contract.
Sancho’s already eye-watering £190,000 per week at Dortmund would almost double at United, with a weekly wage in the region of £340,000 a week waiting for him.
The youngster has just finished the most productive season of his short career to date, scoring 17 goals in the German top flight and matching this with 17 assists.
Sancho provided a further two goals and two assists in the Champions League, and is tipped to be England’s leading light at next summer’s European Championships.
A masked fan unplugged a VAR monitor during a German second division match on Sunday in an audacious act of sabotage that left the referee looking at a blank screen when he was called to review a potential penalty.
The bizarre incident unfolded during the Bundesliga 2 clash between Preussen Muenster and visiting Hertha Berlin, when referee Felix Bickel was summoned to the pitchside monitor only to discover that someone had yanked out the power plug.
According to Muenster’s website, a masked supporter had infiltrated the interior and unplugged the VAR monitor, sabotaging the review process. German media reported that at the same time, home fans displayed a banner reading “Pull the plug on VAR”.
With Bickel unable to view the replay, VAR official Katrin Rafalski in Cologne was forced to make the decision remotely, ruling that the challenge was indeed a foul, prompting Bickel to award the penalty, which Hertha duly converted.
The Berlin side eventually won the match 2–1 with a stoppage-time goal.
Muenster later said the incident appeared to have been a planned action and that the club would do everything in its power to identify those responsible.
-Reuters
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German football powerhouse Borussia Dortmund has officially launched the BVB International Academy Ghana, marking the club’s first international academy on the African continent.
The academy, which will commence operations in Accra in February 2026, is based at Achimota School and has been established in partnership with Accra Shooting Stars FC. It is designed to provide structured football development for boys and girls aged 6 to 18.
In a statement announcing the project, Dortmund described the initiative as a major milestone for youth football development in Ghana and part of the club’s expanding global academy network.
Young players enrolled at the academy will be trained under Borussia Dortmund’s internationally recognised methodology, which emphasises discipline, leadership, education, nutrition and holistic personal development, while remaining aligned with Ghana’s vibrant football culture.
Benedikt Scholz, Director of Internationalisation and Commercial Partnerships and Managing Director of the BVB Football Academy, said the launch reflects the Bundesliga side’s longstanding relationship with Ghana, forged through former players such as Otto Addo and Ibrahim Tanko.
He described the academy as a “strong statement” of intent and noted that the club’s objective is to build sustainable youth development structures in close cooperation with local partners.
Academy Director Teddy Hiadzi explained that the project is inclusive by design, offering pathways for both recreational and elite players.
“Every child’s football journey is different,” Hiadzi said, adding that the academy’s priority is to provide quality coaching, clear developmental structures and a safe environment for growth on and off the pitch.
Former Dortmund midfielder and Black Stars legend Ibrahim Tanko has been appointed ambassador of the BVB International Academy Ghana. He described the academy as a special opportunity for young Ghanaian talents, noting that the country’s passion for football makes it an ideal environment to instil the mindset and discipline required to succeed at the highest level.
The BVB International Academy Ghana will operate as an official member of Dortmund’s global International Academy network, which already includes academies across Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. Enrolment for the first intake is underway, with information sessions and football camps scheduled in collaboration with local schools.
The launch further strengthens Dortmund’s footprint in Africa and underscores Ghana’s growing reputation as a hub for structured youth football development on the continent.
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Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday with goals from Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong.
Leverkusen finished with 10 players after Álex Grimaldo’s sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buendía and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Xabi Alonso’s team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen.
Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury, and he scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim ’keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have stopped.
Frimpong made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aleix García sent the Dutch wing back through.
Then Robin Braun became the first referee to announce a VAR call to fans in a Bundesliga game when a penalty he awarded to Nathan Tella for a foul by Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek was taken back — video replays showed the Leverkusen attacker was coming from an offside position before he was fouled.
Leverkusen’s match was among five in the 20th round trialling the NFL-style announcements, a change league officials hope will make the much-maligned VAR system more popular among fans.
Buendía went on for the injured Tella to make his Bundesliga debut before the break, and Schick went on for Boniface after it.
Buendía surged through the Hoffenheim defence only to see his shot saved by Philipp, but Schick was there to tuck away the rebound for 3-0 in the 51st. It was the Czech forward’s 14th league goal of the season.
Then Grimaldo was shown red in the 61st when Hoffenheim substitute Gift Orban went on for the visitors. Orban pulled a goal back a minute later.
Buendía made way for Hermoso to compensate for Grimaldo’s sending off. Though tempers flared at times, Leverkusen’s 10 men contained the visitors for the rest of the game.
Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Wolfsburg 1-1 in the early game.
-AFP
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