Borussia Dortmund managing director Carsten Cramer has said he believes the “expectations of high fees will go down” during this summer’s transfer window.
Dortmund are at the centre of one of football’s most prominent transfer stories, with England star Jadon Sancho heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, while Norwegian teen Erling Haaland is also among Europe’s most in-demand prospects.
United chief Ed Woodward made similar remarks last month, when he said that the idea of spending “hundreds of millions of pounds” on players in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic would “ignore the realities that face the sport”.
That leaves a deal for Sancho in some doubt, with Dortmund understood to be unwilling to compromise on their asking price and under no pressure to sell.
During a virtual Q&A as part of Leaders Week, Cramer was asked what impact football’s Covid-19 shutdown was likely to have on Dortmund’s transfer strategy and warned clubs that greater flexibility and patience would be needed, suggesting the saga over Sancho’s future could run deep into the summer.
“Normally in May our squad for next season is [planned],” he said. “[This year] everyone has to be as flexible as possible. I’m very sure business on loan will become a higher relevance than before.
“It will take a longer time to plan your squad. I’m very sure that not on July 1 or even August 1 your team is done.
“The expectations of high fees will go down as well.”
