Man Utd transfer options slashed after club 'give up' on pursuit of winger

Manchester United have one fewer club to offload Jadon Sancho to after Napoli dropped out of the race for his signature, according to reports. The Red Devils are desperate to rid themselves of the £73million flop this summer after Chelsea chose not to honour a buy obligation in his loan contract.

The Blues were contractually obliged to pay £25m to sign Sancho permanently this summer, but instead accepted a £5m fine to send him back to Old Trafford. United need to generate funds and clear space on the wage bill through player sales, also making Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho available.

A three-horse race to determine Sancho's future was reportedly forming between Napoli, Serie A rivals Juventus and Fenerbahce.

However, Sky Italy claim that Napoli have given up on signing the 25-year-old winger due to his sizeable salary demands.

Sporting director Giovanni Manna previously insisted the Serie A champions would not be able to match Sancho's current wage demands.

And it appears as if those demands have not lowered as much as required for the Naples giants to progress their interest.

Juventus could now be in pole position to capture Sancho amid a reported push from Turin this week.

Sky Italy also report that the Old Lady will hold discussions with Sancho's camp imminently in an attempt to reach an agreement over a transfer.

It's claimed that the two parties could settle on a decision within hours, and Juventus will move to finalise a deal with United quickly should the 25-year-old sanction a switch.

Fenerbahce are also in the frame, with reports in Turkey stating that he has accepted a contract proposal worth £8.5m per year.

Jose Mourinho is said to want Sancho in Istanbul, and Fenerbahce consider United's £21m valuation fair.

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United will be keen to find a swift resolution as pre-season looms larger, with only one new addition through the door so far.

Ruben Amorim has bolstered his attack with Matheus Cunha, signing the Brazilian in a £62.5m deal from Wolves.

United are on the brink of striking an agreement worth over £60m for Bryan Mbeumo with Brentford, and there is optimism he will have arrived before the return to Carrington on July 7.

Any further dealings require player sales to boost the budget, though, and Sancho's exit is among the biggest opportunities the Red Devils have.