“South of £10m” – Ben Jacobs prepares Chelsea fans for piece of transfer news to come after “end of season decision” | OneFootball

The chatter about Chelsea potentially paying a penalty to terminate the permanent purchase clause in the loan deal that brought Jadon Sancho to Chelsea is growing, and every passing day brings a few more details.

While yesterday it was the Athletic who had the exclusive information that the cost to Chelsea of not taking Sancho permanently would be £5m, today it’s Ben Jacobs arriving with some exclusive information.

He agrees with the £5m figure and points out that there was no loan fee, meaning that even factoring in the penalty and the winger’s wages, Sancho “would still cost Chelsea south of £10m.”

He’s not calling it just yet though – he points out that “Chelsea and Sancho maintain a strong relationship despite his lull in form,” and claims that “Chelsea are likely to make an end of season call” over the winger’s future.

That gives him plenty of time to prove his worth – but without doubt Jacobs has continued to open the door towards a potential termination.

Chelsea seem increasingly open to paying to not sign Sancho

Jadon Sancho in action against Leicester. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

From our perspective, the fact that Jacobs and the Athletic have been briefed on these details – and the fact that Jacobs here is playing down the cost of terminating the deal – shows that Chelsea are briefing all this to prepare the ground for them cancelling the deal.

They want everyone out there to know the penalty fee was small, and they want everyone to start digesting the news now so that when it happens in the summer, we’re all prepared for it.

They are of course made to look a little foolish by paying to not buy a player, but in this case it’s probably the right move, and it’s good to see them back out of their mistake rather than double down.