07 September 2023 , 17:45
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Al-Ettifaq's proposed loan move to sign Jadon Sancho fell through after Manchester United inserted an obligation to buy next summer for £50million.
The Saudi Pro League side wanted to bring in Sancho before Thursday's 10pm deadline after the winger was left out of the United squad that suffered a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal. Sancho's future has been left uncertain following his social media response to Erik ten Hag, who revealed the 23-year-old was dropped because of poor training performances.
Sancho claimed he has been made a 'scapegoat' at United and believes there are 'other reasons' to why he was not selected - rather than how he trained. Ten Hag is understood to be bitterly disappointed by Sancho's outburst and the Dutchman felt let down after working hard to get the attacker back to his best.
The possibility of Sancho leaving then emerged on Wednesday with Al-Ettifaq plotting a surprise switch for the ex-Borussia Dortmund star before the Saudi Arabia transfer window slammed shut on Thursday. Steven Gerrard's side have made an impressive start to the league season, picking up 10 points from a possible 15.
And they wanted to add Sancho to their squad, having already signed Jordan Henderson and Demarai Gray from the Premier League this summer. However, a proposed loan move for the England international collapsed after United included an obligation to buy Sancho for £50m his temporary spell came to an end, according to the Daily Mail.
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Al-Ettifaq could not afford to pay United's asking price next summer and a deal was then simply 'dead'. Sancho was said to be open to the idea of moving to the Middle-East and working with Liverpool legend Gerrard. Henderson, Gray, Moussa Dembele and Jack Hendry are among Al-Ettifaq's arrivals this summer so far.
It's also been claimed that United were wiling to part ways with Sancho earlier this summer if a £45m bid came in, which suggests the club were being ambitious to up their asking price on Thursday. As for Sancho, he is now set to remain at Old Trafford. Since joining the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, Sancho has scored 12 goals in 82 appearances, with his most recent outing coming as a second-half substitute against Nottingham Forest last month.
Jadon Sancho's proposed move to Saudi Arabia has fallen through (Getty Images)Sancho could face disciplinary action for his comments directed at Ten Hag. In a statement on Twitter, Sancho said: "Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue.
"I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into, I have been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair! All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team.
"I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!"