Bundesliga
PAY NOW, OR LOSE OUT ON JADON, DORTMUND TELLS MAN UNITED
Manchester United’s move for Jadon Sancho is in danger of collapsing with Borussia Dortmund increasingly bemused by their approach to the negotiations.
According to Daily Mail, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc bullishly claimed on Monday that Sancho will play for the Bundesliga side this season and the decision was final.
And Dortmund’s belief that they can retain the England star has been strengthened by developments during the process which have left them questioning how much United want to land the 20 year-old winger.
While there was direct contact between the clubs pre-Covid that has now dried up.
And though the Old Trafford giants claimed they were worried about the slow progress of talks Dortmund have yet to receive a bid or even an indication of United’s starting point for the fee negotiations, delaying attempts to find a compromise.
Dortmund have been firm from the outset in their demand for a fee of £108m.
United’s finger pointing at the players’ camp and claims about wage demands raised eyebrows in Germany, given the need to persuade them about a move to Old Trafford, while suggestions they have insisted on the involvement of agent Marco Lichtsteiner in the deal have been rebuffed too.
Meanwhile, United’s contract offers have also caused real surprise and created further doubt about the deal at Dortmund.
Sportsmail understands United’s first contract proposal would have involved Sancho taking a wage cut and their second was similar to the deal he is currently on worth up to £190,000-per-week.
Last week there was optimism that an agreement on terms and a five-year deal was close and that the discussions over the transfer were heading in the right direction.
Talks to sort out the personal terms element of the deal remain ongoing, with Sancho not seeking a deal that would break United’s wage structure, though the fee remains the major sticking point.
United believe Dortmund’s valuation is unrealistic, especially in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, and are refusing to be pushed into doing a deal on another club’s terms.
The onus is now on United to resurrect the situation with Dortmund more than willing to keep Sancho who has no plans to agitate for a move, especially one that is not currently on the table.
Another pressing issue is that this summer represents United’s best hope of a clear run at Sancho due to the competition they would face in 12 months’ time.
Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, Bayern Munich Kingsley Coman and Juventus’ Douglas Costa are among their alternatives.
But Sancho remains their No 1 target after lighting up the Bundesliga since his £10m move from Manchester City in 2017; and United would be reluctant to walk away from the deal.
Sancho has been involved in 77 goals in just 99 senior games for Dortmund, scoring 34 and setting up 43 more, becoming an England international and establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting prospects along the way.
United trained at Viktoria Koln on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s Europa League semi-final against Sevilla in Cologne, having chosen the German third division club’s facilities ahead of fourth tier Fortuna Koln.
It will be United’s third semi of the season after losing out to Chelsea and Manchester City in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to go one better.
‘Reaching semi-finals is a good effort, decent, but it’s not good enough for Man United,’ said Solskjaer on Wednesday.
‘Let’s make sure the hurt that we felt in the two other cups we went out of can be the marginal difference, in that we want it more than them.
‘It’s like a European Championship or a World Cup: you don’t get a second chance, there is no tomorrow. You just know you have to leave everything on that pitch.’
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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Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Victor Boniface will remain at the Bundesliga club, after the Nigerian striker was left out of their Champions League clash with Sparta Prague amid rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia.
Boniface returned from injury on Saturday but was on the bench for Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig after German media reports linked him with a transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr.
He was then left out of training ahead of Leverkusen’s 2-0 Champions League win over Czech side Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“He will train again tomorrow. I believe he is staying with us,” Alonso told reporters after that win.
“So I have to say that I am satisfied, I am happy. He is comfortable here, so I don’t believe that this is a big stress for him.”
The 24-year-old has scored eight goals in 15 games in all competitions. Last season, he netted 14 goals in 23 league appearances to finish as their top scorer and played a pivotal role in securing Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title.
Boniface staying at Leverkusen could open the doors for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran to join Al-Nassr instead.
The Colombian forward is also a reported target for the Saudi club, who are looking to bolster a frontline that already features Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.
-Reuters
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Bundesliga
Leverkusen sidelines Boniface at training session over transfer issues with Ronaldo’s club
Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface was left out of training on Tuesday as German media reports linked the striker with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, with manager Xabi Alonso saying negotiations for the player’s transfer were ongoing.
If the transfer materialises, Boniface will be a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 24-year-old Boniface returned from injury on Saturday but was on the bench for Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Before his injury in November, he had scored eight goals in 15 games in all competitions. Last season, he netted 14 goals in 23 league appearances to finish as their top scorer and played a pivotal role in securing Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title.
“The situation with (Boniface) does exist. Negotiations are ongoing with the club, so we have to wait. Our preparation for the match remains the same,” Alonso told reporters ahead of the Champions League clash against Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“We prepared (for the game) without Boni, of course. We still have to wait a little longer to see (how the situation unfolds),” the Spanish coach added.
“After Jeanu (Belocian) and Martin (Terrier) injuries we already said that we need to be active in the transfer window. Three days remain and we are so close (to a decision).
“I am and I will be happy with the squad (regardless). Until now, all players feel that they are ready and they are an important part of the team.”
Defender Belocian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the year and winger Terrier sustained an Achilles tendon rupture last week.
Leverkusen, eighth in the Champions League standings on 13 points, have already booked at least a knockout stage playoff spot while Sparta Prague, with four points from seven games, have been eliminated.
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