Varun Pai
Transfer News: Manchester United on alert as Ousmane Dembele fails to sign new Barcelona contract
According to transfer news on Goal (h/t The Express), Ousmane Dembele is at a contract standstill with Barcelona amidst interest from Manchester United.
The 24-year-old winger has endured a largely tumultuous time at the Nou Camp. He was expected to replace Neymar Jr following his £135million move from Borussia Dortmund. However, injuries and inconsistencies have made it impossible for him to excel in Spain.
The attacker is now set to be out of contract in the summer and talks of a new deal have apparently failed. The player’s representatives were shocked by a mighty pay cut in the new contract while there were also disagreements over agent fees. Thus, the winger could now be on the move in January or as a free agent in the summer.
Man United are one of the clubs keen on landing his signature as they look to add reinforcements to their frontline. Edinson Cavani is in the final six months of his current deal, as is Jesse Lingard. Anthony Martial, too, is eyeing a January exit.
Man United to pounce for Dembele?
The Red Devils have quite a lot of talent upfront. Even if the aforementioned trio leaves in the coming months, we have Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jadon Sancho in the ranks. Additionally, Anthony Elanga could also make a senior step up.
However, a player of Dembele’s talent does not come around too often. The French international was brilliant at the Signal Iduna Park and has had moments of excellence in Catalonia. Moreover, landing him on a free transfer is an added bonus.
Thus, there are few negatives to a potential move. We shall have to beat the competition to land his signature, and a lucrative contract could do the trick. We already possess the prestige to lure the best talents to Old Trafford, and a good project to go along with it might just convince the Barcelona ace to make the switch to Manchester.
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But all of this can be done once we execute some outgoings. If even two out of Martial, Cavani, and Lingard stay at the club, adding the Frenchman could lead to a bloated squad. Thus, Ralf Rangnick and John Murtough need to assess the squad before launching a bid for Dembele. He could bolster our attack, but we need to sort out our priorities before doing so.
