Man Utd ‘deepening their interest’ in star winger who could move in Jan

Ousmane Dembele

Manchester United are growing increasingly interested in Ousmane Dembele, claims a report – but there is one stumbling block.

Dembele became a target for United late in the summer transfer window as an alternative to Jadon Sancho. Their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund star did not end in success, forcing them to turn their attention to Barcelona’s Dembele instead.

However, they could not complete a deal for the France international, who chose to stay at Barcelona. He has not had many opportunities since.

Hence, Dembele continues to be the subject of transfer speculation, with Barcelona having a decision to make on his future. His contract expires in 2022, but he does not seem likely to sign a renewal.

Therefore, Barcelona may have to sell him in January – especially as they are looking to balance their books. They know they cannot sign a defender as Ronald Koeman desires without selling someone first.

That could mean Dembele is put on the market again, and according to Mundo Deportivo, Man Utd are still in the hunt.

The Catalan source claims United are making “discreet movements” and “deepening their interest”.

 

Barca want high price but United prefer loan

Barcelona will not be against a sale of Dembele, but as stated, it needs to be for a good price. In fact, the report claims they are holding out for somewhere between €70m and €80m.

That’s a price that United are not willing to pay. In fact, they would prefer any deal for Dembele to be a loan at first, according to Sport.

However, with Barcelona suffering from some major absences in attack, they would likely prefer to receive some money for Dembele if they are to consider letting him go.

On the flipside, Dembele has not found much more gametime since Ansu Fati suffered an injury earlier this month. Hence, Barcelona will have to decide how much they really need him.

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