Jadon Sancho blocked Man Utd from signing £25m ‘character’ on transfer deadline day
Jadon Sancho’s preference to leave on loan stopped Man Utd from signing a £25m Premier League star on transfer deadline day, according to reports.
The Red Devils were active on the final day of the 2025 summer transfer window with Man Utd getting a deal over the line for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Viktor Lindelof left on a free transfer to join Premier League rivals Aston Villa, while Antony finally signed for Real Betis in a deal worth around £20m.
Lammens helps Man Utd to improve a key area with Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana not covering themselves in glory so far this season under Ruben Amorim.
There were rumours earlier on transfer deadline day that Man Utd were ‘leaning towards’ a deal for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez instead.
However, they eventually opted for Lammens with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano hinting that Sancho’s refusal to accept a permanent move to Aston Villa cost the Red Devils the Martinez signing.
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Romano said: “The idea of Manchester United, from what I’m hearing, was to do a permanent deal swap with Jadon Sancho and Emi Martinez.
“Not to involve any money basically, with a valuation of around £25 million for both players.
“But, at the moment, from what I’m hearing, this is impossible because Sancho is only going on loan.
“Sancho is not accepting a permanent move, so a loan deal to Aston Villa and for Martinez there are other options to explore.”
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Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand was disappointed to see the Red Devils fail to bring in Argentina international Martinez with “his experience, personality and character”.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “I was all in on Emi Martinez because of his experience, personality and character.
“He’s won a World Cup and plays for Argentina where the pressure is absolutely immense.
“Man United need as much personality as they need ability coming through the door and he fit the bill completely.
“It’s an area where there isn’t much confidence in the squad at all. Martinez is a ready-made Premier League goalkeeper so I would have been happy with that.”
After sealing a deal reportedly worth €21m plus another €4m in add-ons, Lammens reacted to the move, he said: “I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United; it is a real dream come true.
“The past few years have been an amazing journey; it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special.
“You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years.
“I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff.
“This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.”
