Chelsea are set to rekindle their interest in a former hot prospect, with reports saying that a sensational deal could be hammered into place following the departure of another ace…
That's acccording to Calciomercatoweb, who suggest the Blues could look to swoop for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho after offloading Christian Pulisic, who boss Graham Potter is content with parting with if the deal is right.
Having signed for United in a £73m deal from Borussia Dortmund last year, Sancho has failed to find his feet at Old Trafford, and has consequently lost his place in the England squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
United would be unlikely to grant a move to a Premier League rival, but with Chelsea reportedly asking for £35m for Pulisic, money could be freed up to put forth an enticing offer that could sway Reds boss Erik ten Hag’s opinion.
Hazard 2.0
True, the Red Devils’ time in Manchester has not yielded the expected results at present, but the quality is there and those surrounding him will feel that his return to blinding form is a matter of when, and not if.
At Dortmund, Sancho netted 50 goals and gifted 64 assists across 134 appearances; at United, he holds just 12 goal contributions after 52 matches.
Players can often struggle when making the leap to the Premier League, with the relentless pressure and physicality hitting like a wave; Sancho has exhibited flashes of flourishing in this climate, and needs only a wave of consistency to emerge as a fearless force in the division.
Chelsea will feel that they can offer the ace the platform to do just that, with his prospective inclusion into the Blues side certain to raise hype to the fore.
His arresting, gliding runs on the ball and his knack to take on players and cast them aside with darting movements and guileful feet offer shades of iconic Chelsea winger Eden Hazard.
Hazard departed Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid in 2019 in a deal potentially rising to £130m, failing to live up to expectations following an injury-stricken few years in Spain.
Regardless, the 31-year-old Belgian was a star of the highest calibre at Chelsea, decimating defences with weaving runs and exquisite, precise strikes.
His time in west London resulted in six major honours, including two Premier League trophies and two Europa League triumphs.
As per FBref, Sancho is maintaining his slick passing play despite his lacklustre spell with United, sitting in the top 14% of positional peers in Europe's top five leagues for pass completion across the past year.
However, he has been more reluctant to dribble since arriving in England, with Sofascore highlighting the decrease from 3.0 dribbles per match in the 20/21 Bundesliga campaign to just 0.7 across the current season in the Premier League.
Moving to Chelsea, and taking a page out of Hazard’s book, could click the cogs into place, and allow the “dangerous” phenom - as dubbed by football writer Drake Hills - to roar back into life.
Big boots to fill, should Sancho decide to swap red for blue and ply his trade down at Stamford Bridge, but with a gloriously innate ball-playing ability and a crowd-raising style, Hazard’s legacy at the club could be reincarnated.