Erik ten Hag is set to hand Manchester United a transfer blow worth up to £25 million after Fabrizio Romano’s confirmation that the Dutchman has accepted a two-year offer.
Erik ten Hag was dismissed by Manchester United in October 2024 following a dismal start to the 2024/25 season that saw the club slump to 15th in the Premier League.
Despite winning both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his two full seasons, Ten Hag’s vision for the team clashed with that of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, leading to his departure.
Former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy briefly stepped in as interim manager before Rúben Amorim was appointed on a three-year contract.
Yet Amorim has struggled to steady the ship, with United now sitting 16th in the league and under increasing scrutiny following a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Ten Hag has accepted two-year Leverkusen offer
With Ten Hag having spent the rest of the season with his family in the Netherlands and away from football, he is looking to get back into management this summer.
Earlier this month, reports emerged that he is a potential candidate for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, with current boss Xabi Alonso set to leave the club this summer for Real Madrid.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Ten Hag has now accepted a two-year contract offered to him after holding talks with the German side, although there is still work to be done.
Bayer are still yet to make their final decision, having spoken with several candidates for the vacant role, but it’s reported that the Dutchman is prioritising taking over the former Bundesliga champions over a return to his old club, Ajax.
Ten Hag will hand United immediate £25m blow
Should Ten Hag be appointed as the new boss of Bayer Leverkusen, he will certainly hand United a blow in their pursuit of offloading Jadon Sancho.
Alonso is not the only key figure departing the BayArena this summer, with star player Florian Wirtz also set to leave the club, although his destination remains unclear amid interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
With Snacho reportedly set to return to United this summer after a season-long loan at Chelsea, it has been claimed that Leverkusen have been eyeing the United outcast as a replacement for Wirtz.
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However, Sancho and Ten Hag have a long and chequered history, with the pair falling out at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign that saw the winger exiled from his squad and sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund in January.
Despite the duo reportedly setting their differences aside in the 2024 summer window, Sancho was not selected for any Premier League fixtures before he was then loaned to Chelsea, and it feels almost certain that, should Ten Hag join Leverkusen, he would scrap any plans to sign the 25-year-old.
United are looking to secure around £25 million for the winger this summer, and may have to lean on former Old Trafford boss Jose Mourinho to take him on at Fenerbahce to get a deal done.
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