Where will Jadon Sancho be next season and who needs him the most?

Conversations regarding teenage talent usually carry a caveat. Words such as ‘potential’ and ‘consistency’ are ubiquitous and understandably so; for every young player that explodes into the footballing consciousness and stays there, it seems there are countless others who fizzle before failing to fulfil their expectation. So, for every Wayne Rooney, count 100 Federico Macheda’s.

At just 19, the conversations, however, regarding Jadon Sancho’s performances have stopped including any warnings, instead, they appear to take the winger’s presence amongst European football’s upper-echelons as a given.

Now, with 13 goals and 14 assists in 20 Bundesliga games so far, Sancho is already set to improve on from his 12 goals and 17 assists in the competition last season.

Borussia Dortmund are shrewd operators of the transfer market and employ a business model that places an emphasis on selling a player at the right time.

The consensus is, despite only signing a new contract at the beginning of the season, Sancho will be leaving the Westfalenstadion this summer – likely following Euro 2020. Indeed, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc is reported to have simply smiled when recently asked whether they would be selling their much sought-after Englishman.

Inevitably - given his nationality, age and talent – the Premier League’s giants are circling, unfazed by a price tag that would most likely value the former Manchester City youth star in excess of at least £100m.

So, who is best-placed to complete and where could this highly desired forward end up?

Manchester United are currently the favourites to secure Sancho’s signature, with SkyBet offering odds of 6/4 for the Dortmund number seven to return to Manchester in red. And, in truth, United are arguably the team that needs him most.

It would be unfair to single out Daniel James as the primary reason for the struggles witnessed at Old Trafford this season, although, his performances do embody those of the squad as a whole: inconsistent, unassured and falling short of the quality needed at a club of United’s stature.

In reality, it would be difficult to find any person who would deny that the Bundesliga star is a significant upgrade on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current options.

From the team who may need him most, to the team that needs him the least. Liverpool’s record in the Premier League this season resembles that of an unscrupulous Championship Manager career mode and they are on course to win the title by a record-breaking margin.

Nevertheless, it was one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s guiding principles that improving from a position of strength is critical if continued success is to be achieved. Just look at how consistently strong Ferguson's midfield options were, despite having the likes of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick each week.

Should the European champions move for Sancho, it would no doubt help avoid any complacency creeping in amongst their superlative front three, while also providing them with a further dimension with which to attack teams. And, ultimately, keep this unparalleled success rocketing higher and higher.

This move would certainly make the rest of the league shudder and Liverpool are 5/2 to add Sancho to their formidable side.

Despite only last week announcing the summer arrival of Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech for £33.3m, Chelsea’s odds of securing Sancho’s signature have actually shortened to 5/1 with SkyBet over the past month.

This follows reports that the Blues have already opened talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign the Camberwell-born forward; other reports went as far to suggest that certain figures at the club were pushing for a January transfer.

Now free from a transfer ban that was halved following appeal, Chelsea are hoping the fact Sancho grew up less than 30 minutes from Stamford Bridge and is rumoured to be a fan of the cub will be a factor in the winger’s decision.

It is also widely known that Sancho is close friends with another England international already at Stamford Bridge, Callum Hudson-Odoi, having won the FIFA U17 World Cup together.

By Michael Murphy

It's fair to say that Sancho - should he move - will be returning to his homeland. This is, however, a rare case for English followers, in which they have watched one of their own rise to the top without the guidance of a Premier League club.

Rather, the ex-City man looked into the future, pondered about past players, and knew a move abroad was essential to reach his potential. So, perhaps now the Englishman fancies another challenge, to which the Spanish giants could be waiting on standby; both Barcelona and Real Madrid are at 16/1 to lure him to La Liga.

Also mentioned is Bayern Munich at 18/1, which, considering the Dortmund-Bayern transfer link, is always a possibility. The likes of Mats Hummels and Mario Gotze are just two men who have swapped runners-up medals for Bundesliga titles with that move, however, this time, Sancho's commitment to the Yellow Wall perhaps surpasses this popular desire.

In truth, Dortmund will indeed most likely sell, as they always do. Then, Sancho and his 100s of millions in price and profit, will not be short of options.