Getafe's hopes of signing Jadon Sancho have evaporated. The English winger has told club president Ángel Torres he will not be joining, swayed by a huge financial offer from a club outside Europe.
Sancho was demanding 3 million euros net until the end of the season to agree the move. Getafe had shown keen interest in landing a winger to bolster their attacking options at the request of coach José Bordalás, whose thin squad is competing across three competitions.
Reports in England spoke of an offer worth 400,000 euros. Getafe actually tabled a far bigger sum, yet it still fell short of the player's demands, according to Spanish newspaper "Marca".
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Agents for the player, who previously represented Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, are now finalising the details of the new deal after ruling out a move to Getafe and the Spanish league on Tuesday morning.
Marca confirmed that Sancho is negotiating with a Saudi club, where preparations are under way to meet his financial demands. Those are likely to run higher than the figure he asked of Getafe, given that he must leave Europe.
Getafe close the transfer file
With two vacant places in their squad, Getafe have decided to close the transfer file until the winter window opens on 2 January, unless an interesting opportunity arises.
Elsewhere, Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league, visited the offices of the Coliseum stadium on Tuesday. Marca described the atmosphere as positive during his meeting with Getafe president Ángel Torres. Tebas said: "Our relations are at their best."
Torres, for his part, voiced his displeasure with the Spanish Federation over the Copa del Rey fixture schedule. He argued the draw could have spared Sporting Hortaleza and Navalcarnero a tie against Sevilla and Real Betis, while Getafe and Rayo Vallecano are forced to travel to Andalusia to face Lebrija and Huelva.
Torres said: "This match will cost us 60,000 euros."