Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd revive transfer attempt for £44m winger as two rivals enter race and two fall away

Ousmane Dembele and Gavi

Man Utd are back in the hunt for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, according to a report – and they will be able to afford him, unlike two other suitors.

Dembele has been linked with Man Utd in the past, including last summer. However, he went on to sign a new contract with Barcelona back in July. Hence, he became off limits for Man Utd and any other interested parties.

Nevertheless, his updated contract is only due to last until the end of next season. With that in mind, there may be a chance for Man Utd to get their hands on him at long last.

According to a report from Calciomercato.it, Man Utd have revived their interest in Dembele. After their previous attempt to sign him, they are gearing up for another go.

This time, Man Utd will be able to sign the France international if they meet his €50million (£44m) release clause. Such a fee would be within reach for them, the report confirms.

In contrast, two of Dembele’s admirers in Italy – Juventus and Inter – would struggle to fund a deal when also taking his wages into account.

Therefore, Man Utd have the chance to press ahead with their pursuit of the wide man, who will have turned 26 years old by the time next season comes around.

However, even though two competitors for his signature seem to have dropped out of the race, competition remains from elsewhere in the Premier League.

Indeed, Dembele has recently been linked with Chelsea and Newcastle United, both of whom have had their interest verified by the update from CM.it. Thus, Dembele’s future is still all to play for.

During the current season, he has scored eight goals and assisted seven others from 28 appearances across all competitions. All of his goals have come when he has played as a right winger, although he has featured on the left occasionally.

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Man Utd, Chelsea or Newcastle could bring Dembele to the Premier League

Overall, he has scored 40 goals and added 41 assists from 178 appearances in his whole Barcelona career.

Prior to playing for Barcelona, Dembele had spells with Rennes in Ligue 1 and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Hence, coming to the Premier League would be a new challenge for him. Yet he has already proven himself as an adaptable player in multiple environments.

Perhaps Man Utd could offer him the next platform from which to express his talents. On the right wing in Erik ten Hag’s system, he would largely be competing for a place with Antony, who is only in his debut season at the club.

Hence, it would be interesting to see how Ten Hag would balance their roles in the squad. However, Dembele – a World Cup winner with France in 2018, of course – has long been a player worth pursuing.

Given Antony’s importance to Ten Hag, though, would he be better off choosing Chelsea or Newcastle? The Blues are well stocked with wingers too, but have enough money to throw at additional players.

Newcastle, on the other hand, might be more likely to secure qualification for European football for next season. Hence, they might be worth giving some consideration to.

But Man Utd will have to be taken seriously in the race for Dembele. Indeed, it seems they will be among the main clubs to keep an eye out for.

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