Manchester United agree personal terms with Sancho

Manchester United close in on Jadon Sancho while, the coronavirus crisis deepens for English clubs.

Sancho set to become Red Devil

Manchester United are confident they have beaten rivals Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool to the record-breaking signing of England international Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. According to the Sun, the Red Devils have agreed a contract with the 20-year-old after "months of secret talks" with Sancho and his representatives. The Sun state that the contract length, salary, bonuses and even a buyout clause have been agreed between the club and player. Sancho is set to cost United significantly more than the £89 million they paid for Paul Pogba back in 2016, who remains the Premier League's record signing. 

***: It's very difficult to get transfers done in secret these days due to the increased media coverage around the sport, but fair play to the United officials involved in sneaking ahead of their rivals to secure Sancho's signature. The club is constantly linked with big-money transfers, with Tottenham's Harry Kane and Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt both rumoured to be on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's summer shopping list, but a move for the Dortmund winger makes much more sense. United spent a huge fee bringing in club captain and central defender Harry Maguire last summer and the club also knows Spurs are reluctant to negotiate with a domestic rival. Signing Sancho would create a threatening front three of Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford... be afraid Premier Legaue defenders! 

Coronavirus crisis deepens in Premier League 

All football clubs have taken a huge financial hit due to the coronavirus crisis, but the Mirror are reporting that an unnamed "Premier League giant" is losing £9 million each week. The media outlet states that the club in England's top tier could face taking out a loan of £100 million just to cover the eye-watering losses that have hit their finances during the lockdown period. Football clubs in the Premier League are known for having extremely high wage bills due to the television deals, but the clubs are reportedly having to pay back up to £750 million to the broadcasters due to the break in play, with no potential return date in sight. 

EFL clubs could face transfer restrictions 

In the English Football League (EFL), the Telegraph are reporting that clubs could face transfer restrictions if they choose to defer the wages of their players and staff during the coronavirus outbreak. Some football clubs have put agreements in place with their squad to lower wages in order to save the club some money while there is a pause in the season. EFL chairman Rick Parry is said to be ready to address any future issues that could arise from this, which could include placing transfer restrictions on the clubs who are deferring wages as it could give them a financial advantage over the clubs which are paying their players and staff in full.