According to reports, Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona winger, Ousmane Dembele on a free transfer next summer.
The Frenchman is out of contract next summer and the Red Devils are looking to grab the opportunity and sign him for free. Barcelona are still in massive debt and are only able to offer Dembele a pay-to-play contract, which is highly based on appearances. Hence they are finding it hard to reach an agreement on the new contract with the French forward.
But the new Barcelona manager Xavi will try his best to keep Dembele at the club. According to reports, Xavi sees Dembele as an essential part of his plans for the present and the future of the club. However, with Manchester United’s interest intensifying, Barcelona fans are fearful that they will lose yet another star player on a free transfer following Lionel Messi’s departure.
Barcelona paid a fee close to €150M to get Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund as he was considered one of the brightest prospects in the world at that time. The Catalans signed him to replace Neymar who transferred to PSG. But since his arrival at Camp Nou, Dembele has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.
Constant injuries have hindered Dembele from making a massive impact at Barcelona. Dembele missed the start of the current season with a knee injury. While after playing for just 25 minutes in his return match, he has again picked up a hamstring injury. But he came off the bench against Benfica in the Champions League. However, despite the injury record of the forward, Xavi is certain that Dembele can help the squad.
Is Ousmane Dembele a good option for Manchester United?
Despite the injury record of the French forward, there is no doubt about the abilities and attributes of Dembele. The French world cup winner would certainly add another dimension to the red devil’s front line.
Manchester United are undoubtedly in need of another rebuild. Many of the United frontline players are out of contract and many are set to be considering their future. The likes of Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani are out of contract next summer. There are no signs if they will sign a new deal at the club. French forward Antony Martial is also reported to be considering his options after limited playtime this term.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 36 is showing no signs of slowing down and is still scoring week in and week out. But there are still questions of how long Ronaldo can keep this sort of top-level performance up for. So, Manchester United needs to act quickly to get some good backup for the frontline.
With so many departures from the frontline imminent, signing Dembele for free transfer next summer would certainly tick a lot of boxes for United.
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