Dortmund Sporting Director: Sancho Will Play for Us This Season, 'The Decision Is Final'

Michael Zorc has some discouraging news for Manchester United and all other Jadon Sancho suitors.

Borussia Dortmund's sporting director moved to end all transfer speculation regarding the 20-year-old English star, saying quite clearly on Monday that Sancho would be with the Black and Yellow for the 2020-2021 season. Man United has reportedly agreed to personal terms with Sancho but still needs to come to an agreement with Dortmund over a transfer fee before any more can happen. That latter aspect doesn't appear to be in the offing, if Zorc's comments are to be taken as gospel. 

"We plan on having Jadon Sancho in our team this season, the decision is final," Zorc said on the day of an apparent and arbitrary deadline set by Dortmund to sort out the saga. "I think that answers all our questions."

This all, naturally, could simply be posturing to ensure that Dortmund gets a substantial fee for Sancho, who had 17 goals and 16 assists for BVB this past season and is one of the world's true rising talents. Zorc said similar things about another rising talent, Ousmane Dembele, back in 2017, and Dortmund wound up selling Dembele to Barcelona anyway.

Sancho did travel with Dortmund to Switzerland Monday for its preseason training camp. Dortmund is reportedly seeking a transfer fee in the $140 million range, something that would figure to scare off most clubs considering the financial impact of the pandemic on the sport.

Just because Dortmund's deadline has passed and Zorc has emphatically said what he said does not mean the transfer saga is dead. The altered transfer window is open until Oct. 5, meaning there could be nearly two more months of jockeying for positioning regarding Sancho's future.