Man United sign Sancho from Dortmund

England winger pens down five-year deal, says joining Red Devils is a ‘dream come true’ for him

MANCHESTER:

Manchester United have signed England winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund on a five-yar contract, the Premier League club announced Friday.

No fee was disclosed but British media reports said Sancho had moved from Germany in a deal worth £73 million (100 million dollars) -- which would make him the second-most expensive English player of all time behind new United team-mate Harry Maguire.

Sancho is set to stay at United until June 2026, with the option of a further year.

"I'll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day," Sancho told manutd.com.

"The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League," the 21-year-old added.

"This is a young and exciting squad and I know, together, we can develop into something special to bring the success that the fans deserve."

His move to Old Trafford follows a year-long pursuit by United, who were reportedly put by Dortmund's initial £100m valuation of Sancho, a former Manchester City youth team player.

The deal was announced just weeks after Sancho, together with new United team-mate Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, received racist abuse following the trio's penalty shoot-out misses in England's Euro 2020 final loss to Italy at Wembley.

'Best traditions of United'

United finished second, 12 points behind local rivals Manchester City, in last season's Premier League but Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects his side to benefit from Sancho's "untapped talent", even though the forward scored 50 goals and recorded 57 assists in 137 appearances for Bundesliga club Dortmund.

"Jadon epitomises the type of player I want to bring to the club, he is a forward player in the best traditions of Manchester United," said Solskjaer.

"He will form an integral part of my squad for years to come and we look forward to seeing him blossom," the United manager added.

"His goals and assists records speak for themselves and he will also bring tremendous pace, flair and creativity to the team.

"Old Trafford will give him the platform he needs to release his untapped talent and perform at the highest level.

"For a player of his age, Jadon has already achieved a great deal and showed the courage to go and prove himself abroad."

Sancho is United's second pre-season signing after reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton joined on a two-year contract earlier this month.