Chelsea make loan bid for Man Utd's Sancho

Chelsea are understood to have made an offer for Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho.

Sky Sports News has been told the offer is a loan that could become an obligation to buy if certain thresholds are met.

The loan fee is thought to be more than Juventus offered for Sancho and talks are continuing between Chelsea and United ahead of the 11pm deadline.

Juventus were keen to sign Sancho on loan but there is a feeling within the Italian side that the 24-year-old prefers a move to Stamford Bridge, and they will not pursue a deal unless the conditions drastically change.

United would prefer to sell Sancho but have not ruled out agreeing another loan for the England international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Sancho has two years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford, with United retaining the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

Asked on Friday afternoon if he expected Sancho to stay, Erik ten Hag said: “As I know, yes. He’s playing in our squad and we’re happy with him.

“We need depth in the squad. We need options.”

Chelsea would ideally offload players before Friday’s 11pm deadline, including Raheem Sterling. United remain open to the idea of signing the 29-year-old but are not actively pursuing a deal.

The Blues’ move for Sancho is likely to be a standalone deal but United have explored a move for Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

Sancho has scored 12 goals and contributed six assists in 83 games for United since signing from Dortmund for £73m three years ago.

Sancho – who has 23 caps for England – fell out of favour at United last season after a public disagreement with Ten Hag.

The forward was welcomed back into Ten Hag’s squad this summer but his only action so far this season was a brief appearance from the bench in the Community Shield.

What’s going on in Chelsea’s striker pursuit?

Al Ahli have agreed a deal for Ivan Toney but there is still work to be done regarding their move for Victor Osimhen.

While Toney appears set for the £40m move having been filmed by Sky Sports News arriving for his medical in London on Deadline Day, Napoli are now asking for more money from the Saudi club for Osimhen.

Napoli agreed a fee in the region of £67m overnight, but Al Ahli are understood to be unhappy because the goalposts of the deal have changed and are standing firm on their original offer.

Chelsea are still pushing for the signing of Osimhen and talks continue with a delegation in Naples.

However, the deal remains difficult given Chelsea’s wage structure and Osimhen’s demands. Club-to-club negotiations are expected to be easier to resolve than the personal terms.

Al Ahli are understood to have agreed a four-year contract with the 25-year-old worth around £33.6m per season – or £646,154 per-week – tax-free. The contract also includes a release clause.

The Nigeria international is yet to give the green light to signing for Al Ahli and it is understood Chelsea have not given up hope on signing their long-term target.

Napoli’s preference is a permanent deal or at least a loan with an obligation to buy.

The Serie A side have already brought in a potential Osimhen replacement in Romelu Lukaku, who joined from Chelsea on Thursday.

Before agreeing to the Saudi move, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda insisted “he still has so much to do in Europe” – a statement which appeared to give Chelsea every chance to come up with an acceptable offer.

But the west London club have fallen way short of what Osimhen would want, with Chelsea needing him to fit into their new wage structure.

There was then a further blow to Chelsea in their search for a proven goalscorer to be their new No 9 as Al Ahli also agreed a fee for Toney.

The England international has less than one year left on his Bees deal.

Toney was left out of Brentford’s first two Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, and was also omitted from the squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup second-round win at Colchester.