Sancho rejects Roma again, Manchester United’s contract extension pressure fails! The reason for the one-month transfer delay revealed

According to Italian media reports, Manchester United tried to pressure by activating a one-year renewal option, pushing the defiant Jadon Sancho to agree to Roma’s bid since there are no other genuine suitors. Sancho’s prospects at United have vanished, with the club not even giving him a jersey number, meaning he would spend at least half a year without playing if he remains.

Italian journalist Alfredo Pedullà wrote on "Italian Football" that Manchester United informed Sancho’s agent of their plan to trigger his one-year priority extension clause, which would extend Sancho’s contract until 2027, preventing him from negotiating or even pre-signing with foreign clubs in January next year and leaving on a free transfer the following summer.

Sancho was loaned to Chelsea last season, but due to high wage demands, the Blues paid a £5 million penalty to send him back to Carrington. Ruben Amorim grouped Sancho with Ganacho, Antony, Rashford, and Tyrell Malacia as the “five rats” in the dressing room; among them, only 27-year-old Rashford has been loaned out for free to Barcelona so far.

In recent months, there have been many rumors about potential destinations for Sancho, but stories involving Juventus and Dortmund have faded, leaving the 25-year-old English winger in a "no-man’s land." In recent weeks, Roma has shown genuine interest, but reports say the Manchester United winger is unwilling to join the club, causing negotiations to stall.

Italian newspaper Il Romanista insists Sancho has not officially rejected Roma, but admits his hesitation and lukewarm hopes are causing pain for the Serie A club. The club’s sporting director expressed frustration over the lack of progress in talks, accusing Sancho of lacking motivation to join them.

The same applies to Manchester United, whose sporting director Jason Wilcox is eager to reduce the heavy wage burden Sancho represents. Sancho’s basic weekly salary at United is £250,000, so the club agreed to a £20 million offer a month ago.

However, talks between the player and Roma have not yielded satisfactory results, reportedly mainly because the agent demands a commission of €10 to 11 million.

This week, Roma has requested Sancho to make a final decision on joining by Wednesday; otherwise, the club will seriously consider other targets. Meanwhile, no other clubs have yet taken steps to sign the £73 million Manchester United star.

Roma’s veteran coach Gasperini insisted after the team’s weekend win over Bologna that Sancho has not rejected them. "Sancho has never turned down Roma," he said, "There are still eight days left in the summer window. In any case, this is a strong team, but as I said before, the best and worst have no limits."

Manchester United, meanwhile, have publicly declared their intention to extend Sancho’s contract, aiming to dispel his agent’s hopes of profiting hugely from a free transfer. In fact, United and Roma have agreed on a loan-to-buy deal, which requires Sancho to renew his contract first to complete a permanent transfer next summer.

Unfortunately, Sancho still refuses to comply. It is reported that after negotiations were rejected again on Tuesday, Roma abandoned their pursuit of Sancho and turned their attention to players from Liverpool and Chelsea. Transfer expert Di Marzio said on Italian Sky Sports that Roma’s sporting director Frederic Massara personally met Sancho’s management team in London on Tuesday, but the talks failed, just like previous meetings, with Sancho showing no interest in joining.

Roma now hopes to acquire Chelsea’s young winger Tyrique George and Liverpool’s left-back Kostas Tsimikas. Among them, 19-year-old George, who plays the same position as Sancho, is willing to move to the Giallorossi. Negotiations are progressing much more smoothly compared to those with Sancho, and the Chelsea talent, who appeared 26 times last season, prefers a permanent move rather than a loan, making a direct deal likely.

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also confirmed: "Roma and Chelsea held direct talks on Tuesday regarding George’s transfer. Chelsea prefers a permanent sale with a high resale percentage, while Roma is negotiating with both the club and the player. Sancho’s stance during this transfer window remains unchanged."

It is said that Sancho wants to wait until the very end of the summer transfer window to see if any suitable opportunities arise. He wants both a high salary and a good team; Sancho is unwilling to settle for just one. If none appear, he doesn’t mind staying at Manchester United. Even without playing, "Big Joe" can still earn £12.5 million in wages.

Fans curse Sancho’s chaotic approach, fearing it might scare off all potential suitors, but in reality, some clubs are still willing to take the risk. For example, former Manchester United midfielder Pogba was accepted by Ligue 1’s Monaco this summer. Therefore, Sancho’s team is confident they can find a new club since his age is still relatively young.