Manchester United have reportedly decided to call off their pursuit of Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele after he picked up another injury.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Manchester United have decided to end their interest in Ousmane Dembele after he sustained yet another injury. Barcelona are now considering the possibility of letting him run down his contract before offloading him for free next summer.
Dembele has endured a frustrating spell at Barcelona since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2019 as a possible long-term replacement for Neymar. While the Frenchman has shown flashes of brilliance, a spate of injuries has curtailed his development significantly.
The 24-year-old is already up to his second injury layoff this season, sustaining a hamstring injury after his maiden appearance of the season. While things have gone from bad to worse for Dembele at Barcelona, he continues to be rated highly, as illustrated by the interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, with Manchester United being one of his prospective suitors.
Manchester United hold a long-standing interest in Dembele, having attempted to sign him twice when they had failed to secure the services of Jadon Sancho last year. However, the continued pursuit of the Barcelona forward does not make a lot of sense, considering Sancho did arrive at Old Trafford in the summer, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a well-stocked attacking unit.
So, even though Sancho is yet to hit his stride in the Premier League amid Manchester United’s struggles, there is no room for another wide attacker in the first-team setup. And now, the Red Devils have officially ended their interest in the 24-year-old.
The injury he suffered seems to have played a major role in Manchester United ceding their interest in the Barcelona ace. However, the decision appears to be prudent, seeing as Manchester United must retain their focus on bolstering their midfield unit by signing a holding midfielder.
As for Barcelona, they seem to have been put in a spot of bother following Dembele’s latest injury at a time when they have been attempting to tie him down to a new contract. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner in the final year of his deal with the Blaugrana, it will be interesting to see what beckons in his future.
