Manchester United's pursuit of Jadon Sancho has been left in serious doubt by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
The Old Trafford chief has warned that mega-money transfers may not be possible this summer in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
And that could include United's move for the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund star, their No.1 summer target, who is expected to cost at least £100m.
The Red Devils have also been tipped in some quarters to make a sensational £200m bid for Tottenham talisman Harry Kane.
But both moves have been thrown into uncertainty by the executive vice-chairman's latest comments.
Woodward claimed that the days of players commanding such huge fees are over during a fans' forum meeting by conference call.
“Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of challenge facing everyone in football,” said Woodward.
“It may not be 'business as usual' for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer.
"As ever, our priority is the success of the team, but we need visibility of the impact across the whole industry, including timings of the transfer window, and the wider financial picture, before we can talk about a return to normality.
“On this basis, I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport."
Sancho has two years remaining on his deal at Westfalenstadion and it is hard to imagine German giants Dortmund letting their star go this summer for less than a nine-figure fee, so United may miss out on their priority target.
The England winger emerged as one of the hottest prospects in Europe after two spectacular break-out seasons with Dortmund.
The Manchester City academy product scored 13 goals and provided 19 assists in 2018-19 and has already surpassed that tally in fewer appearances this season, with 17 goals and 19 assists.
With his move to the Red Devils now in danger, Sancho may opt to stay with Dortmund, where the offer of a lucrative new contract in on the table; the German giants know that keeping him for another year would likely see his value only rise further.
