Tammy Abraham has jokingly warned Marcus Rashford to ‘stay away’ from Jadon Sancho, with Chelsea and Manchester United set to do battle for the Borussia Dortmund star this summer. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Sancho as United’s top attacking target ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and Dortmund reportedly expect the youngster to be playing his football at Old Trafford next season. The Red Devils are even prepared to offer Sancho the coveted number seven shirt, currently occupied by Alexis Sanchez, in a bid to lure the forward to the Theatre of Dreams. However, Chelsea have not given up hope of landing Sancho and, like United, are prepared to meet the Englishman’s giant £100million valuation after Frank Lampard asked the board for a marquee signing up front.

Jadon Sancho sits on the bench prior to the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund Sancho has been heavily linked with both Manchester United and Chelsea (Picture: Getty) Rashford was one of the many big-name players to send a birthday message to Sancho as he turned 20 on Wednesday – and, unsurprisingly, the Instagram post went down very well with United supporters. ‘Happy birthday bro!! @sanchooo10 Enjoy your day, indoors!’ Rashford wrote alongside a picture of them together on international duty. Sancho’s close relationship with Rashford, two years his senior, has been well-documented and could prove to be key in United’s negotiations to sign the young England international over the coming months.

Tammy Abraham and Marcus Rashford embrace after Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester United Abraham joked Rashford must ‘stay away’ from the Dortmund winger (Picture: Getty) But Chelsea centre-forward Abraham wasn’t having any of it and was quick to reply to Rashford’s post. ‘Stay away from my Jadon,’ Abraham responded with a laughing emoji amid rumours Sancho could be on his way to Stamford Bridge. Though Abraham’s comment has since been deleted, it’s clear the striker would welcome a move for Sancho who he knows well from their early days rising through the ranks of youth football in south London.

Abraham was quick to respond to Rashford’s post on Instagram Sancho and Abraham, both born in Camberwell, combined to score the final goal in England’s thumping 7-0 win over Montenegro back in November and, after the match, the Chelsea man reflected on just how far they’ve come in a short space of time. ‘To be at Wembley together is just a dream come true for us,’ Abraham told BT Sport. ‘I remember playing with him in the park a couple years back. ‘Every summer we’d have little competitions and now he’s just assisted me and I’ve scored my first England goal. It’s crazy to think about it. ‘I know where he wants to put the cross. He’s an assist man, he loves tallying his assists, so I just knew I had to beat my man and get in front of him.’

Tammy Abraham celebrates scoring his first England goal with Sancho Sancho assisted Abraham for his first ever England goal (Picture: Getty) Earlier this week, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand said he wouldn’t think twice about signing Sancho but admitted it could be tough to lure the youngster to Old Trafford. ‘I would take Sancho all day, to Manchester United. Whether we’ll get him, though…’ Ferdinand said during a Q&A session on Instagram Live. ‘Great player, great potential, English, he’s brilliant. ‘I would take Sancho now.’