Manchester United have received a boost in their pursuit of Jadon Sancho - despite being told they have no chance of signing him this month.
Dortmund chief Michael Zorc ruled out the England international forward leaving BVB this summer after the Red Devils missed their self-imposed August 10 deadline.
Zorc told the press: "We are planning with Sancho. He'll play for us next season. The decision is final. I think that answers all of the questions."
He added: "Last summer, we adjusted the salary in line with Jadon's performance. In this context, we have extended the contract until 2023."
United are very keen on signing Sancho, but deem his £108million price tag too steep.
Dortmund on the other hand have no intention of lowering this demand, and after Monday's update appear certain to retain their prized asset, at least for another season.
But perhaps all is not lost.
Back in June 2017 Zorc was adamant that Ousmane Dembele would not be leaving Dortmund under any circumstance.
He said: "Ousmane Dembele has a long-term contract [until 2021] and we are making definite plans with him. There are no negotiations [with Barca].
"Ousmane is going to be playing for Dortmund in the coming season."
However, just two months later Barcelona announced Demebele.
Admittedly, the Catalan giants did stump up the cash for the Frenchman, splashing out an extravagant £135million.
But it's a ray of hope for United that all is not lost in the face of Zorc's statement.
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