Manchester United believe they remain the frontrunners to sign Jadon Sancho next year, despite interest from a host of Europe’s top clubs in the Borussia Dortmund and England winger.

Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona are also among those keeping a close eye on Sancho’s situation amid growing expectation that this will be the 19-year-old’s last season in Germany.

Manchester City - whom Sancho left to join Dortmund for £8 million in 2017 - have asked to be kept abreast of developments but Paris St-Germain’s interest has cooled for now and there are doubts Arsenal could compete financially with United for a player who could cost up to £100m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the United manager, wanted to sign Sancho last summer but Dortmund refused to sell and the player was happy to spend another season in Germany.

But relations between Sancho and Dortmund have been strained by events in recent weeks and there is a belief the German club could cash in next year, with a summer transfer still viewed as more likely than any January move.

Despite the threat of no Champions League football for a second successive season, United - currently nine points adrift of the top four - believe they are still at the head of the queue for Sancho and consider him a priority target as part of their rebuilding process. United have not signed a natural right winger since Wilfried Zaha in 2013 and Solskjaer wants the position addressing.