Chelsea complete signing of Man United outcast Jadon Sancho on season-long loan deal with obligation to buy next summer for £23m as Old Trafford nightmare ends, three years after £73m move

Jadon Sancho's Manchester United nightmare is over after he joined Chelsea on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. 

The agreement will see Sancho move to Stamford Bridge initially on loan before the 24-year-old joins permanently for £23million, depending on performance-related add-ons, next year.

Sancho will replace Raheem Sterling, who has joined Arsenal, after the former Borussia Dortmund star was out-of-favour with head coach Erik ten Hag following a highly documented fall-out last season.

Mail Sport previously reported that both clubs were discussing a surprise swap deal involving Sancho and his former England teammate Sterling, who was unexpectedly dropped from the Chelsea squad and banished to the 'bomb squad' by Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

Sterling eventually got his move away as he signed for Arsenal on loan with no obligation to buy. 

The shock move comes despite United boss Ten Hag insisting Sancho would stay, hours before the player departed for west London.

Asked if he expected Sancho to remain at the club, Ten Hag said: 'As I know, yes.

He is in our squad and we are happy with him. We need a good squad, we need depth. We have to play many games until January. After the break we play every third day so we need options.'  

After impressive performances during his first spell at Borussia Dortmund saw him break into the England team, United paid £73m to bring Sancho to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021.

However, under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag, the winger has failed to consistently replicate the performances that made him so vaunted before his move to the Premier League.

After a public falling out with the Dutchman saw him frozen out at United last season, Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.

Back in the Bundesliga the winger once again demonstrated his potential, making 21 appearances in all competitions as Edin Terzic's side reached the final of the Champions League. 

He had been welcomed back by Ten Hag after clearing the air with the United manager but was left out of the matchday squad for their opening two games of the Premier League season.