Chelsea will not be turning Jadon Sancho's loan into a permanent move with the Blues paying a £5million penalty fee to send him back to Manchester United.
Sancho would have stayed for £25m but personal terms could not be agreed with the 25-year-old over the last week. His loan runs until the end of June.
Mail Sport previously broke how Sancho's loan deal included a way in which Chelsea could get out of their obligation to buy by paying a multi-million pound fee.
The original loan from United did not include any initial fee, so the £5m can be seen internally at Chelsea as being the same as the £5m which Aston Villa paid to take Axel Disasi on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 season.
Sancho struggled for consistency over the 2024-25 season, though did score in the Conference League final against Real Betis, which Chelsea won 4-1.
He became a popular player within the Chelsea changing room, though the Blues hierarchy, including manager Enzo Maresca, consistently said they wanted to wait until the conclusion of the campaign before finalising his future.
He is now on his way back to Old Trafford, and will assess his options at home and abroad this summer.
Sancho had flashes of brilliance for Enzo Maresca's side - fans even sang his name as he came off the bench to set up the winner against Bournemouth in September.
For the 23-time England international, this was a move to the club he had supported as a child and a chance to rebuild his reputation after a middling spell at United.
United signed Sancho for £73m in 2021 after being impressed by his scintillating form at Borussia Dortmund, but he never reached the heights he had in Germany.
After two seasons of blowing hot and cold, he and Ten Hag had an almighty falling-out which saw him banished from first-team training and exiled on loan to Dortmund, where, in flashes, he again found his feet and reached the Champions League final.
Sancho proved has still has quality in his locker at Chelsea, as seen in his daring run and stunning finish from outside the box against Tottenham in December.
But he was ultimately unable to bring end product on a consistent basis, scoring five and assisting 10 in 42 games across all competitions.
Sancho's contract with United runs until 2026 and includes the option of a further year.
One stumbling block for potential suitors could be his salary, as he is believed to be earning around £250,000 per week.
Mail Sport reported how United had to pay £100,000 of his salary per week while he was on loan in Germany to make the finances feasible.
It is unclear what Manchester United will do with Sancho who, at his best, can be explosive.
Ruben Amorim's system does not accommodate wingers and therefore it is likely to see him getting squeezed out.
They could let all of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Sancho leave this summer and, to be replaced with No 10 types like Cunha and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.
His route was blocked under Ten Hag in the 2022-23 season when he was barred from first-team training.
The winger publicly branded Ten Hag a liar for critiquing his training performances when explaining why he was excluded against Arsenal in September 2023.
