Manchester United close to agreeing personal terms with Jadon Sancho on a five-year deal

Manchester United are edging closer to agreeing on personal terms in principle on a five-year contract with Jadon Sancho, as discussions continue at an advanced stage with Borussia Dortmund over the structure of the transfer fee.

Dortmund has not bulged on their €120m (£108m) valuation of the England international, but seem to be open to accepting less money upfront.

Related: Manchester United’s transfer latest and rumours: Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish on United’s radar

The Bundesliga side want an initial €100m (£90m) to fund a replacement for the 20-year-old – though it is very unlikely they would spend that amount of money on a new signing, hence the softening of the stance on Sancho’s initial fee.

Dortmund employed similar negotiation tactics when they sold Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona in August 2017.

They wanted €140m upfront – but instead settled for €105m plus add-ons.

Sancho registered a staggering 17 goals and 17 assists across 32 Bundesliga games last season for Borussia Dortmund.

Should Manchester United fail in their attempts to prise Sancho away from Dortmund, they could sign Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman on loan.

Sancho has been at Dortmund for three years, having signed from Manchester City in August 2017 for a fee of about £10m.

In July, Dortmund beat United to the signing of 17-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City in a deal that could be worth over £30m.

More: Transfer Talk: 17-year old Jude Bellingham signs for Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City

They also bought Norway forward Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg earlier in the season – another player United tried hard to bring to Old Trafford.