Borussia Dortmund have sought to fend off any interest in Jadon Sancho, with the Bundesliga outfit adamant that the 18-year-old will “certainly play with us next year, come what may”.
The talented teenager has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence since making an £8 million ($10m) move to Germany from Manchester City in the summer of 2017.
His rapid progress has seen him become a first-team regular at a title-chasing side, while also earning senior international recognition with England.
Such potential was always going to grab attention and Sancho is now sparking talk of interest from leading, and big-spending teams across Europe.
Dortmund, though, have no intention of parting with a prized asset any time soon, with sporting director Michael Zorc telling ESPN FC: “Jadon knew it would be an unusual step to move here but it has been totally the right one. Courageous, too.
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“He's an outstanding talent and a big part of our future. We are convinced that we are the best option for him to keep developing.
“He's not finished yet. Not by a long stretch. And he will certainly play with us next year, come what may.”
Dortmund hope that their willingness to give game time to players of promise will help to convince Sancho, and others that they are in the best possible place for their ongoing development.
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Zorc added: “They can't get into their first teams because the squads are so big. But they understand that we can provide a platform for them to play, that our coaches have the courage to play them.
“Not just in the first round of the DFB Pokal against [fifth-division] Eintracht Trier, but in the big games against Bayern and such like.”
While that approach has delivered rich rewards, not every youngster to have passed through the club has left a positive impression.
Ousmane Dembele impressed on the field during his time with Dortmund, but left under a cloud after forcing through a switch to Barcelona in the wake of Neymar’s record-breaking transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
“It wasn't the best experience,” Zorc admits.
“But it was a special situation forced by the transfer of Neymar to PSG [and Barcelona needing a replacement]. All okay, though. We were adequately compensated.”