Manchester United are reportedly closely tracking the situation of Ousmane Dembele, who is set to leave Barcelona sooner rather than later.
A recent report from Sport has offered an update on the future of Ousmane Dembele. The winger is set to leave Barcelona after failing to reach an agreement with the Spanish outfit over a new deal. The club’s offer is nowhere near Dembele’s demands, which has prompted Barcelona to speed up the process of sanctioning a sale in January, with Manchester United reportedly alerted.
The report suggests that the Red Devils are determined to sign the Frenchman, who has been a target for the Premier League giants for well over two years. However, Manchester United are only keen on striking a deal with Dembele if Barcelona let him go for free in January and the player himself commits himself to a long-term contract at Old Trafford.
Formerly of Borussia Dortmund, Dembele has endured a dreadful spell at Barcelona since joining the club in 2017. Initially brought in as a direct replacement for Neymar, the winger’s career at Camp Nou has been marred by a series of unfortunate injuries. Even when fit, the explosive forward has not been able to perform to his full potential.
In 129 competitive games overall, the 24-year-old has netted only 31 goals while producing 23 assists. Just to put things into perspective, he was involved in 33 competitive goals in his only season at Dortmund.
However, Dembele’s struggles have not deterred Manchester United, who remain keen on acquiring the services of the Frenchman this January. The player is likely being considered as a direct replacement for Anthony Martial, who could be set for a January move to Juventus, albeit on a loan deal.
Manchester United’s pursuit of Dembele also suggests there is uncertainty over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international’s contract expires at the end of next season, but given the club’s underwhelming performances, he may leave Old Trafford sooner. PSG, for one, have been already linked with a swoop for Ronaldo in the summer, with Les Parisiens prepared to line him up alongside Lionel Messi.
That said, Manchester United’s desire to sign Dembele in January might reach a dead end as Barcelona are determined to offload the winger for a fee. An offer of around €20 million could reportedly be enough to seal the deal, although it remains to be seen whether Manchester United are willing to fork out such an amount this month.
