Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly keenly keeping tabs on Ousmane Dembele’s contract talks with Barcelona ahead of a possible summer move.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Sport, Ousmane Dembele is once again the subject of interest from Manchester United. The Red Devils are closely following the contract situation of the Barcelona superstar, who is also being tailed by Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Dembele joined Barcelona following an acrimonious exit from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017. Widely regarded as one of the most promising young wingers in the world at the time, the French international’s progress has been severely hampered by a spate of injuries since then.
However, the 23-year-old seems to have turned a corner this term, with 6 goals and 3 assists in 19 appearances across all competitions. While the tally might not be awe-inspiring, Dembele has been quite instrumental in critical moments, which is why Barcelona are now eager to tie him down to a new deal. However, the player is also on the radars of Manchester United and Chelsea.
Manchester United were even linked with Dembele in the summer transfer window and have continued to remain in his pursuit thereafter as well. Eyed as a possible alternative to their priority target Jadon Sancho, Dembele could be a fine long-term solution for the Red Devils, albeit with the caveat of his fitness issues looming over his head.
Nevertheless, Manchester United, who are also eyeing Gabriel Veron as a possible alternative for Sancho, are monitoring the Dembele’s situation at Barcelona with the view of making a possible summer move. Chelsea, on the other hand, bolstered their attack this past summer by signing Hakim Ziyech, while Timo Werner has also been utilised out wide.
Having said that, Frank Lampard has just three natural wingers at his disposal in Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi. With Hudson-Odoi not really progressing as envisioned, it is not hard to see why Chelsea would want to make a move for someone like Dembele.
Apart from Manchester United and Chelsea, the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus are also keeping tabs on the Frenchman’s contract talks with Barcelona. On their part, Barcelona will try to reach an agreement over a new deal, although that will have to wait till a new president is elected in March.
Having said that, with Dembele’s current contract having just 18 months left to run out, Barcelona are in a precarious situation and could be forced to sell him in the summer if a renewal is not agreed. It will then be interesting to see where he goes next, with Manchester United, Chelsea and others monitoring his situation at Camp Nou.
