It’s no secret that Manchester United have been tracking Ousmane Dembele since the last few transfer windows. According to MundoDeportivo, Manchester United are still interested in signing the 23-year old winger. The Red Devils tried signing Dembele last summer on a loan deal but the French star opted to stay at Barcelona and fight for his spot.
After the conclusion of this season, Dembele will have only one year left on his contract with the Spanish giants. The Blaugrana signed the French superstar in 2017 for a hefty fee of £97 million. The club expected him to fill the shoes of Neymar but he has failed to do so. Barcelona have to decide whether they want to let him leave on a free next summer or extend his contract now. The third option with them is to sell him this summer at a modest fee. This will help them retrieve at least some portion of that humongous fee they paid to Borussia Dortmund.
Can Ousmane Dembele be Manchester United’s perfect choice?
Ousmane Dembele has made 22 appearances in La Liga this season but started only 14 of those games. He has scored four goals and assisted twice in these games which is not a great return for a player of his calibre. The Spanish league is not an easy league to play in and the 2018 World Cup winner is finding that the hard way. Yes, his stats are certainly underwhelming but that does not define his quality. He possesses break-neck pace and is a strong dribbler of the ball. He has the vision to open up defences and is a robust finisher as well.
Manchester United are on a hunt for a right-winger for the last two years and Dembele can fit into that role easily. The Red Devils like to play in a counter-attacking system. They defend deep and try to catch teams by surprise with their counter-attacks. Solskjaer desires to have those players up front who are very quick. The former Dortmund star will inject more pace in Man United’s attack. Adding Dembele to the list of Rashford, Greenwood, Martial, James will only excite the fans of Manchester United.
Ousmane Dembele can play in all three positions upfront. He can easily switch with the likes of Rashford or Bruno Fernandes and make defending more complicated for any opposition. Ousmane Dembele to Manchester United looks to be a great deal on paper. If Barcelona opts to cash in on the Frenchman, United should be the first team to table an offer for him.
The biggest rider will however be the player’s injury record which has played the biggest role in hindering his career’s progress but if the medical team at United give the go-ahead, Ole can certainly give the green light for this transfer, especially if a deal for Jadon Sancho remains unattainable.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored