'Sancho can strengthen any team' - Kahn sparks talk of Bayern interest in Dortmund star

Oliver Kahn has sparked talk of Bayern Munich showing transfer interest in Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho after the former Germany captain and board member at the Bundesliga champions said the England forward "can strengthen any team".

Speaking on German television before Tuesday's Klassiker clash, where Bayern beat Dortmund 1-0 to move seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, Kahn did not deny interest in the 20-year-old winger.

Kahn told Sky Sports Germany: "This is not the right circumstances to be talking about possible player transfers. Of course, like other Dortmund players, Sancho is a good player who can strengthen any team. We will discuss everything at the right time.

"He is a great talent with enormous characteristics. Dortmund have a very, very good player there."

Sancho has been widely linked with a return to the Premier League, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea touted as likely destinations for the former Manchester City youngster.

Kahn is not the only senior Bayern figure to praise Sancho, with head coach Hansi Flick also hailing Sancho, who came off the bench on Tuesday having only recently returned from injury, as a "great talent".

Flick was asked about Sancho after Bayern's win and was full of praise for the attacker's quality.

"I don't like to talk about players who are under contract to other clubs," he told a news conference. "I can say that Jadon Sancho has a high quality but in the end he also suits Borussia Dortmund very, very well."

Flick added: "He is a great talent and has enormous qualities. That's why you simply have to acknowledge that Dortmund has a very good player there."

Sancho has scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists in 26 Bundesliga games this season.

Bayern's victory on Tuesday evening, secured thanks to a magnificent Joshua Kimmich chip just before half-time , has put them in the driving seat for another Bundesliga crown.

The game, seen as a possible title decider for the 2019-20 German top-flight title, was played behind closed doors due to restrictions enforced as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, and Kahn admitted that such a big match was not the same without fans.

He said: "It bleeds your heart that there are no spectators for such a game. It is very unusual, but it is the case. The team that best accepts this will have advantages."