Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has admitted that Jadon Sancho is unlikely to be at the club for the long term.
The England international burst on to the scene last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists in the Bundesliga as Dortmund narrowly missed out on the title to Bayern Munich.
Sancho has continued in a similar vein in the 2019-20 campaign, finding the net three times and setting up four more goals in his six league outings for Lucien Favre’s side.
The 19-year-old is one of the hottest young prospects in the European game and was linked with a big-money move to Manchester United in the summer, having previously spent two years on the books of Manchester City without making a senior appearance.
And despite committing his immediate future to BVB, Sancho could depart Signal Iduna Park ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, with Zorc admitting that the winger will probably be plying his trade elsewhere in the coming years.
‘No decision has been made. But you don’t have to be a prophet to know he won’t play here for another five years,’ he told Kicker.
‘He has taken this positive development [at Dortmund]. I doubt that would have been possible with top English clubs. We trust the players very early, and we are not afraid to let them play. He acknowledges that.
‘He’s an instinctive footballer, a street footballer, he’s always a footballer, but he’s always setting new limits. He does not sit back satisfied. He wants to play football successfully and beautifully. That alone is his motivation.’
Dortmund have endured a mixed start to the season, winning three, drawing two and losing one of their first six Bundesliga fixtures.
They also drew 0-0 with Barcelona in the Champions League and are now preparing to face Slavia Prague on Wednesday.