Liverpool legend John Barnes believes Jadon Sancho would be a good fit for Liverpool and Manchester United but would suit the style of football Manchester City plays.
Sancho came close to leaving Borussia Dortmund last summer with United tabling a £105million bid for the England international but the Bundesliga side stood firm and resisted any further offers.
However, with Dortmund enduring a frustrating season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, Chelsea and the Reds could test their luck once again this summer should the German side decide to part with one of their prized assets.
John Barnes insists Jadon Sancho (pictured) would be a good fit at Liverpool and Man United
It was also revealed earlier this month that Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc said that they made a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Sancho that he would be allowed to leave the club ‘if certain conditions were met’.
And with a move now back on the cards, Barnes believes Sancho could fit seamlessly into Jurgen Klopp’s squad – but may struggle to secure a spot in the first team if none of the club’s deadly front three head for the exit.
‘I think Manchester United and Liverpool will suit Jadon Sancho, but Manchester City have a different kind of football to how he plays,’ Barnes told BonusCodeBets.co.uk.
‘Players from Dortmund generally are good at playing for most clubs. If Liverpool keep all their players he’s probably not going to play ahead of [Sadio] Mane, [Roberto] Firmino and [Mohamed] Salah, so Liverpool may not need him.
However, the Liverpool legend claims Sancho may struggle to displace Liverpool’s front three
Barnes says Sancho would not be guaranteed a starting spot if Salah, Mane and Firmino stayed
‘He has to look at the teams he’s going to in terms of the players that are there and whether he will play regularly.
‘Lionel Messi wouldn’t have been suited to Wimbledon when they were in the Premier League, so players coming to play here have to find the right side for their football.
‘Whatever club Sancho goes to, he has to decide if he can fit in well with what a club wants.
‘Take Jesse Lingard as an example, he’s doing very well at West Ham and it doesn’t mean that he will do that at Manchester United where he’ll have to play second-fiddle to [Paul] Pogba and [Bruno] Fernandes.
‘It’s a question that Jadon Sancho has to look at the type of football a club plays and see if he can realise his potential at a club rather than joining the side that will pay him the most money or is the most prestigious.’
Liverpool, Chelsea and United are all expected to make bids for Sancho again this summer
One Liverpool player that has been struggling for minutes this season is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The former Arsenal midfielder has featured sporadically in the second half of this campaign since returning from a serious knee, which has seen him make just 14 appearances in all competitions.
Having fallen down the pecking order, Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a fight to win his spot back in the team after injuring his knee last August, which saw him miss 20 games as a result.
And while he still has plenty to offer Klopp, Barnes insists a move to Champions League-chasing Leicester could be ‘good for him’.
‘A Premier League team is definitely somewhere Oxlade-Chamberlain can go,’ Barnes added. ‘He won’t be going to Chelsea, Manchester United or back to Arsenal. Leicester could be a really good place for him, which is a good opportunity to play for a Champions League team.
‘If you’re playing regularly for Liverpool as one of the first names on the teamsheet and want to leave then the teams that you might go to are Barcelona and Real Madrid, if you’re a squad player that’s not the case – like with Adam Lallana going to Brighton.
Barnes also believes a move to Leicester for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would be good for him
‘It’s fine being at a club that is winning the league and Champions League, so if Oxlade-Chamberlain is leaving to play regular football I commend him for that, this is also why Lallana left.
‘He’s been fantastic and a great servant for Liverpool even though he hasn’t been there that long. He always tried really hard whenever he plays and never upset anyone by throwing his toys out of his pram.
‘You need people to be characters when they’re not playing and it’s been great to have them around the squad. He’s never upset anyone because he’s not playing and Klopp has always made sure these are the kind of players he has in the squad.’
While Oxlade-Chamberlain may benefit from a move away from Anfield, Barnes believes an Emirates exit for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may be what’s best for Arsenal next season.
Since renewing terms with the club last summer, where he put pen to paper on a three-year £350,000-a-week deal, the forward has failed to live up to the hype and has failed to win the club silverware in a season where they desperately needed it.
The striker hit the post twice in their Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal, with the 0-0 result enough to send the Gunners crashing out of Europe.
Arsenal may be better off without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang next season, says Barnes
He could prevent Arsenal from crashing out of Europe as he hit the post twice against Villarreal
Now ninth, Arsenal face having no European football for the first time in 25 years and Aubameyang not being around at the club may be for the best, says Barnes.
‘The players have to do what Arteta says,’ Barnes said. ‘The Arsenal players are still playing for him and he’s not under pressure or in a situation where the players might absolve themselves of responsibility and feel that they don’t have to perform.
‘Arteta had a stand-off with Aubameyang which he won after dropping him and not playing him, so maybe Aubameyang will now see things differently and do what the manager says to help the team. We’ll see a much better Arsenal next season.
‘It’s hard to say whether Aubameyang will leave because to get the money that he wants with a transfer fee too. The best clubs don’t build their teams around one player, unless it is Messi or Ronaldo and there is nobody like them around. It happens in smaller teams, like Aston Villa and Jack Grealish.’
