Juventus have reportedly ended their interest in signing Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, offering Chelsea fresh hope in their efforts to bring him to Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old was unexpectedly re-integrated into the Red Devils squad in pre-season, having buried the hatchet with Erik ten Hag following their falling out a little under 12 months ago.
Sancho featured regularly for Man United in pre-season, but the winger has been left out of the Red Devils' squad for their opening two Premier League games against Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion.
There is seemingly no end to Sancho's competitive exile, and with the clock ticking on deadline day, the former Borussia Dortmund man is expected to complete a permanent move elsewhere in the coming hours.
A return to Dortmund - whom he rejoined on loan for the second half of last season - did not materialise for the attacker, while Paris Saint-Germain also ended their interest in a deal relatively quickly.
Juventus 'end Sancho interest' as young talent makes breakthrough
Instead, Juventus apparently made a concerted effort to sign Sancho in the closing stages of the summer window, and it was claimed earlier this week that the Old Lady had reached an agreement with Man United over a loan with an obligation to buy in 2025.
However, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Thiago Motta's side have now pulled out of negotiations for Sancho in the wake of 20-year-old sensation Samuel Mbangula breaking into the first team.
Mbangula - who primarily plays on the left - has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the 2024-25 season with one goal and three assists in just two Serie A matches, already establishing himself as a key player for the Bianconeri.
Keen to keep Mbangula's momentum going, Juve are apparently concerned that the arrival of Sancho could impact the 20-year-old's minutes, and they have therefore opted against signing Sancho, in spite of also selling Federico Chiesa to Liverpool.
The Man United man is therefore left with just a few hours to end his ill-fated spell at Man United, where he has only come up with 12 goals and six assists in 83 competitive matches since his arrival in 2021.
Could a Sancho, Raheem Sterling swap happen?
Mbangula's Juventus breakthrough and the Bianconeri subsequently ending their interest in Sancho spells good news for Chelsea, who have been linked with an audacious swap deal for the 24-year-old involving Raheem Sterling.
The former Manchester City man has been frozen out of Enzo Maresca's squad and has been warned that he will not play any football for the next few months if he cannot negotiate an exit from the Blues in the next hours.
A separate report from TEAMTalk claims that Sancho would be open to signing for Maresca's side, but Sterling would also have to take a huge hit on his £325,000-a-week wage packet to move to Old Trafford.
A deal supposedly remains 'highly plausible', but Arsenal - whose manager Mikel Arteta worked with Sterling at Manchester City - have also been linked with a late move for Sterling before the 11pm deadline.
