Manchester United are readying bids for a few attacking players, including Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé for the January transfer window. United’s miserable start to the 2019-20 season has prompted the Red Devils to design machinations so that they can buy a top-class attacking player in January.
As per Independent, Dembele is “under consideration” for the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-led team, along with Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic. According to the report, Solskjaer and Ed Woodward, executive vice-chairman of United, discussed the possibility of signing new players in January. The report further states that Barcelona would demand in “excess of £100m” for the Frenchman in January.
Dembele is currently in his third season at Barcelona, having signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €105 million in 2017. The 22-year-old Frenchman has scored 18 goals in 67 appearances and 17 assists for the Catalan giants, while also being a part of the French World Cup-winning squad. Dembele’s current contract with Barcelona expires in 2022.
Ousmane Dembélé: Much needed addition?
Manchester United have struggled over the last few weeks due to injuries to several of their attackers, while many players have been out of form as well. The Red Devils’ squad was not strengthened following the departure of attackers Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer and in hindsight it looks like a foolish decision.
United need to buy quite a few players in attacking areas – as well as the midfield – and they should start the process in January as they run the risk of falling out of the top 6.
Ousmane Dembélé is a player with tremendous potential and has been touted to become one of the best in the world in the future. The Barcelona player can play on both wings, as well as a central striker, and has the technical ability, dribbling skills, as well as pace to cause problems to the best defences in the world.
A player like Dembélé would significantly improve United’s current squad, which needs a player that can take on defences and be direct in their attacking approach. The only question mark over the move for the Frenchman is his attitude, which Barcelona players and board members have questioned publicly.
If United can get reassurances on that front, Dembélé would be a huge upgrade on what United have at the moment and they should certainly make the move if the opportunity arose. They need a ”crack’ player in the final third as is clearly evident by the inconsistency shown by Martial and Rashford and Dembele can prove to the component in the cog around whom the machinery functions.
His prospects at Barcelona also look bleak after Antoine Griezmann’s arrival and Ansu Fati’s emergence and a move to the Premier League will surely appeal to the attacker.
