Manchester United have put striker Romelu Lukaku on the transfer market (h/t Metro), and have now readied a replacement in Lyon’s Moussa Dembele for the Belgian.
The Red Devils have been linked with moves for Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala, but attempts to sign them have not led to anything fruitful, which has perhaps prompted United to target Dembele.
According to Manu Lonjon of Yahoo Sports, Manchester United have made an offer to sign Dembele ahead of Thursday’s deadline for Premier League clubs.
The 23-year-old striker moved to the French side in the 2018 summer transfer window for a fee of around £19.7 million from Scottish side Celtic. In his very first season with Lyon, Dembele scored 20 goals and provided 6 assists for the club in 46 games.
Dembele has prior experience of playing in England, having played for Fulham between 2013 and 2016, before making the switch to Celtic where he scored 51 goals in 94 appearances for the club. The Frenchman was a part of the Paris Saint-Germain academy before moving to Fulham in 2012.
Why Moussa Dembele is a top replacement for Lukaku
Dembele is a quick, powerful, and athletic centre-forward, who could be a very good alternative to Lukaku. The Frenchman is not similar in playing style to Lukaku as he is a player who likes to use his agility and nimble feet to get past defenders.
He is the kind of player who could fit into Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s new style of play, which is direct and has a sense of urgency, rather than the possession-based style of play of past managers.
The French forward could form a deadly attacking partnership with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and new signing Daniel James – all three of them who have pace in droves and look to drive at defenders.
Dembele is a proven goalscorer and has scored goals in abundance at every club he has played for in his short career.
The 23-year-old is an out-and-out striker – a No. 9 who plays on the shoulder of the last defender and is always looking to find ways to score goals.
At 23 years of age, Dembele will improve in the future, and having played in England previously, he won’t take a long time to settle into the Premier League as well.
