- Chelsea dodge £25m Sancho obligation
- Boehly’s alleged quotes disregarded
- Aston Villa snap up winger on loan
Sancho, who spent the 2024-25 campaign at Stamford Bridge, made his mark with five goals and ten assists, including the sealing strike in the Conference League final victory over Real Betis. During his stay in west London, Chelsea contributed around £180,000 to £200,000 per weektowards Sancho’s huge wages. The club were ready to continue paying that amount if the winger was willing to take a pay cut to continue with them, but the 25-year-old rejected the offer and the Blues decided they had no option but to pay a penalty to United.
Matters took a bizarre turn this week when quotes attributed to Boehly, supposedly originating from Italian outlet La Repubblica, were circulated. Boehly is alleged to have said: “We had an agreement to buy him (Sancho) for €20m, but last season the player missed several training sessions, including a match at the stadium. He spent the night chatting with his girlfriend, slept during the day, and then, whenever he had two days off, he went to Los Angeles to visit his beloved. That’s why we chose to pay the penalty.”
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano quickly moved to rubbish the story. On social media, he wrote: “Quotes reported by Italian press from Todd Boehly about Jadon Sancho are completely fake. Todd Boehly didn’t release any interview to Italian newspapers about Jadon Sancho and never commented about the English winger situation.”
After leaving Chelsea, Sancho’s future is now firmly tied to Aston Villa. The winger has sealed a season-long loan move to Unai Emery’s side, with Villa agreeing to cover 80 per cent of his wages. The switch marks another fresh start for the United outcast, who is into a third consecutive loan away from Old Trafford.
Emery sees Sancho as a potential game-changer for their European campaign and domestic push. With Villa fighting on multiple fronts, the 25-year-old’s creativity and vision could add a new dimension to their attack. For Sancho, it’s another chance to silence doubters who have questioned his mentality and professionalism. At just 25, time is still on his side to turn things around, but the stakes have rarely been higher with the 2026 World Cup looming large and the chances of another big move in the balance.
