‘Only Mbappe valued higher than Sancho right now’ – Hamann wonders what Man City make of Liverpool and Utd links

Manchester City should be asking questions of how Jadon Sancho slipped their net, says Dietmar Hamann, saying the Borussia Dortmund winger is now sat behind only Kylian Mbappe when it comes to the top-rated talent in Europe.

Having taken the decision to leave the Etihad Stadium in 2017, the product of City’s academy system opted to try his luck in Germany.

Sancho has starred for Dortmund, earning senior international recognition with England along the way, and is now sparking talk of a £100 million ($125m) return to the Premier League.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are among those said to be keen on the 20-year-old forward, with Hamann admitting it is easy to see why interest is building. For the former City and Liverpool midfielder, only Paris Saint-Germain’s World Cup-winning striker Mbappe sits above Sancho when it comes to the “highest valued” players on the market.

Hamann told Sky Sports: "In Dortmund, we've seen in the past that they can develop players when given time.

"When he first came, he had a bit of a rough start for the first few months, but the last 12 to 18 months, you have to say he's probably been the best player in the Bundesliga and I'm not surprised there's huge interest in England to take him back.

"We had [Ousmane] Dembele here a few years ago before he went to Barcelona [and he] never really recovered, but I've rarely seen a player in the last decade who beats players or defenders purely with skill. He's in double figures again this season with nine or 10 games to go in assists and in goals.

"I'd probably make him the highest valued player. If you look at Mbappe, he might be the only one who's valued higher than Sancho now. This is how good he's been.

"I think it would be a major act for Dortmund to keep him this summer.

"I just wonder what they think at Manchester City because they must have seen that he's got something, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for him to perform the way he did over the past 18 months."

Sancho hit 17 goals and teed up 19 more for grateful team-mates prior to competitive football being shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.