The 25-year-old hasn’t represented England since the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy

Aston Villa are believed to be planning a swoop for the sixth most expensive English footballer in history as they aim to assemble a team that can once again qualify for the Champions League.

Unai Emery’s men finished sixth in the table after falling to a controversial 1-0 defeat against Manchester United on the last day of the season. It meant the Villans missed out on the Champions League on goal difference and means the club will be competing in the Europa League instead next season. A combination of injuries and consistency in the first half of the season ultimately proved costly in the Champions League race despite Villa’s strong end to the season.

This time around the Villans are hoping to go one better and have their sights set on a potential move for ex-Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jadon Sancho after a new development in his career, which has left him looking for a fresh start.

Aston Villa plot move for Jadon Sancho

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho spent the entirety of last season out on loan with Chelsea and in that time was able to register five goals and 10 assists in 42 matches across all competitions, including a beautifully finessed curling strike in the Europa Conference League final win. However, despite an initially productive start the 23-time England international only managed three goals and five assists in the Premier League from 31 games, with only two of his goal contributions coming after January.

It resulted in Chelsea paying a figure of around £5 million to prevent the loan from becoming a permanent deal, having initially agreed to pay a figure of around £20m to £25m to sign the winger at the end of his loan stint. It leaves Sancho back at Old Trafford where he struggled to make an impact under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and later Erik ten Hag before being completely frozen out of the Dutchman’s plans after a row involving the winger’s work rate in training.

In a now deleted post on X, Sancho explained: "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.”

He never played for United again in the league after the post and was subsequently loaned out to Borussia Dortmund for the second half of the 2023/24 season. Now, Sun Sport claim Ruben Amorim has no plans to reintegrate Sancho back into his United team as he aims to shape the team in his image with wholesale changes to the playing squad. The outlet claims Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham are now all monitoring developments closely as they weigh up a potential offer.

Is Jadon Sancho likely to sign for Aston Villa?

Jadon Sancho looks almost destined to leave Manchester United after a nightmare four years at the Theatre of Dreams which has seen him gone from a £73m signing and one of the most sought after talents in the world to a player surplus to requirements in the first team squad.

Sancho has proven at Borussia Dortmund in the past that he can be an extremely creative player with immense trickery and an eye for goal. He notably scored 53 goals and registered 67 assists in 158 matches across both spells in Germany, with his best individual campaign coming in 2019/20 when he got 20 goals and 20 assists across all competitions.The winger will hope to get back to those levels ahead of the World Cup in North America but must first find a club that can give him the opportunity to shine.

Villa could potentially be a good fit for the winger after seeing the way they revived Marcus Rashford’s confidence over the last six months. However, the two potential stumbling blocks could be Sancho’s reported wages of around £300,000 per week and the fact that United are seeking a permanent sale as opposed to a straight loan move.

Villa are widely reported to be close to breaching PSR rules and will need at least one first team sale to avoid any complications further down the line. Meanwhile, even if a fee was to be agreed, it’s likely Sancho would need to significantly drop his wage demands.