Jadon Sancho has been warned off a move to Manchester United by Emre Can, with a current colleague of the Borussia Dortmund winger admitting that he could never bring himself to join the Red Devils.
Speculation regarding a switch to Old Trafford for an England international continues to rage heading towards the next transfer window.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to be in the market for more creativity and firepower, with Sancho boasting the potential to tick both of those boxes in a wide attacking role.
Big money would be required to prise the highly-rated 20-year-old from his current surroundings, but those in Manchester have funds available and the ambition that could see them table an enticing offer.
Can appreciates why a talented team-mate is attracting interest, given his exploits since arriving in Germany as an unproven 17-year-old, but sees no reason why Sancho would want to trade one European heavyweight for another .
He told SportBild : “I see no reason to put Manchester United above Borussia Dortmund.
“Not from a sporting side and not because of the appeal. I'd tell him to stay put and let's play together forever.”
Can, who completed a switch to BVB from Juventus in January , added: “Jadon has class that not a lot of players possess. I noticed that fairly quickly. He's enormously important for us.”
GettyWhen mulling over his own options in the winter window, it was suggested that Old Trafford could be a landing spot for Can .
The 26-year-old midfielder insists that linking up with the Red Devils never crossed his mind, with strong ties to Liverpool from a four-year spell at Anfield between 2014 and 2018 making it impossible for him to consider crossing that divide.
Can said, with Bayern Munich having also been in the mix to take him back to Allianz Arena: “The comparison fits. Both are record champions and have huge strength.
"In addition, big names like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Owen Hargreaves played for both clubs. But I would never play for United because of my time in Liverpool. My heart won’t let me do that. The rivalry between the clubs is really huge.
“When I came to Dortmund in the winter, I compared a lot of things here with Liverpool.
“The clubs are really similar, have a familiar environment and unique fans. And both love Jurgen Klopp!”