With negotiations to join Juventus put on ice some time ago, over obstacles for the England international, Sancho explored other Serie A avenues.
This left the Bianconeri at the back of the queue behind AS Roma and Napoli, but the club could still land a player who is about to hit his peak.
Sancho’s salary demands put off Antonio Conte’s Napoli, and pushed him towards Roma. Yet there is a stumbling block surrounding Sancho’s potential switch to the Stadio Olimpico, namely that the 25-year-old is reluctant to have a significant wage cut in Serie A.
Sancho currently earns €377,000 (US$436,700) a week at United, which is beyond the finances of Italian top teams.
Juventus made an initial bid of €5 million (US$5.8m) a year, and although they upped their offer the hefty transfer, salary demands and his agent’s high commission fees combination was out of reach for the Turin titans.
With Sancho turning down the opportunity to earn big bucks in the Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas, which would have resulted in reuniting with former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his representatives have been trying to broker a deal to Serie A.
AS Roma agreed deal for Sancho
Despite United’s asking price of €29m (US$33.7m), Roma and United agreed on Tuesday to a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for €23m (US$26.6m) 23 million euros.
Sancho has until Thursday to make a decision about joining the Giallorossi, who have lined up Chelsea’s 19-year-old emerging star Tyrique George as a back-up.
The only sticking point for Sancho is about adjusting his wages to move to the Italian capital. He showed more willingness when discussing personal terms with Juventus, but is not showing the same flexibility towards Roma. The reason could be that Bayern Munich are showing sudden interest, although Juventus revisiting a deal is not out of the question.