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Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United have reportedly recently been in talks for midfielder Manuel Ugarte. Although the two clubs’ valuations for the Uruguayan international do not yet match, it was an opportunity to discuss another player of interest to the French champions: Jadon Sancho. The England international is back with the Red Devils after spending the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and it was during that return to Signal Iduna Park that Les Parisiens spotted the 24-year-old as he helped the German get past PSG in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League as part of BVB’s unexpected run to the Wembley Stadium final. With Kylian Mbappe gone, Paris and Parc des Princes could become a permanent home for Sancho.
This is why PSG could be tempted to opt for the Three Lions star.
Offensive versatility
Sancho is primarily a wide player who spends more time on the right than on the left. Although he can play both, PSG will logically position him on the right side, which makes perfect sense given Ousmane Dembélé’s gradual transition to a more central creative role. With Mbappe gone, there will be more flexibility in an attack that features not only Dembele, but also Bradley Barcola, Goncalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani, Marco Asensio and occasionally Kang-in Lee. Sancho would ensure there are at least two players per position in attack, depending on whether it is a direct three-man attack or one creator behind two more advanced central attackers. PSG looked at Atletico Madrid-bound Julian Alvarez from Manchester City with one of those roles in mind.
Complementary qualities
As a right-sided player, Sancho doesn’t really pose an immediate threat to anyone in the starting XI’s attack, assuming Dembele’s move into the infield becomes permanent. In that case, PSG will look at a roughly 4-2-3-1 formation with Ramos at the point, Barcola on the left, Dembélé behind the Portuguese forward and Sancho on the right. That creates a midfield rotation between Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery and Fabian Ruiz, where newcomers Joao Neves and Gabriel Moscardo should try to break into. Once Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are both operational, it also opens up the possibility of going with three advanced forwards with one central attacking midfielder, which is essentially just a more attacking version of the 4-2-3-1 with the wide men further pushed forward. .
Fluency of the team
Should Luis Enrique deploy that current attacking range for the new season, his options are quite logical in the sense that he will have more or less depth in each area and competition for starting places without the dominance that Mbappé exerted during the debut season of the Spaniard. In that group there is a mix of wide and central attacking quality with creative elements and a balanced midfield, which will really please Luis Enrique, with players like Joao Neves and Gabriel Moscardo in place of Ugarte.
Ugarte usage
Another underrated aspect of PSG’s interest in Sancho is the fact that it keeps the Ligue 1 giants and United in talks, meaning Ugarte is not completely off the table. The Uruguayan needs further help and the Englishman could essentially be part of a swap between the two clubs, with far less money changing hands than would have been the case if it had only been a one-off investigation into one or the other . the original source of the problems regarding the South American’s asking price – PSG.
Star attraction
Sancho is also a household name in world football, with PSG needing some star power following Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid. Although the two are not at all on the same level in terms of superstars, the English star would increase curiosity about Le Championnat, who have already added a number of interesting names this summer. It also gives Les Parisiens a slightly different appeal and potentially opens the club back up to an English-speaking audience after a fairly inaccessible period for that following in terms of player profiles.