Varun Pai
Transfer News: Newcastle United ready to sign Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona amidst Manchester United interest
According to transfer news on Spanish publication Sport (h/t The Sun), Newcastle United have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele.
The 24-year-old winger was a prodigy at Borussia Dortmund as he had scored 10 goals and provided 22 assists in 50 appearances for the German club. Barcelona later arranged a big-money move for the winger, but it has not worked out well for either party.
The French international has spent a considerable amount of time on the sidelines due to a string of injuries, as he has only racked up 118 appearances over the last four years.
He is now in the final year of his contract at the Nou Camp and has already rejected a contract as the club were offering him a decreased salary due to their financial woes.
However, the Blaugrana outfit are now planning on setting a deadline for the winger to sign a new deal as they would sell him in January if he chooses to leave the club, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t The Sun).
A pre-contract, in turn, bodes well for Dembele as it would give him the chance to earn a signing-on fee from his new club. Newcastle United are plotting a similar move as they are ready to offer him a salary worth £240,000-per-week while the former Dortmund man has also asked for a £12.7million signing-on fee.
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This would be bad news for the Red Devils as they were initially looking to complete a deal for the winger. Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard could depart on the expiry of their contracts next summer, while Cristiano Ronaldo will also turn 37 next year.
Thus, the addition of a youthful attacker could do wonders for the Old Trafford outfit. However, they will now have hope that they present the player with the best project should he decide to leave the Catalan club in 2022.
