Manchester United's relatively quiet summer transfer activities appeared to be picking up as the club's attention turned to Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele. The Red Devils want to bring the World Cup winner to Old Trafford on a loan deal but Camp Nou is favoring to negotiate for a long-term agreement.
Dembele could be wearing the United shirt soon if the talks between the Premier League giants and the Catalans will lead to a completed deal. It is understood that the 23-year-old is targeted for a season-long stay in England but Barcelona would prefer selling Dembele, who has struggled to impress in La Liga since signing up in 2017.
The price that the Spanish side is asking amounts to £92 million but United seemed more interested in a short-term rent, likely to see if the Frenchman will be a good fit to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
According to Sports Bible, the two sides are likely to agree and the Spaniards are open to loan out Dembele provided the contract to be signed will include Barcelona's specific condition. The deal will only push through if United will take the French forward with an option to buy.
It's still unknown if the demand by the La Liga side is acceptable to United but the same report indicated that discussions are now underway.
Acquiring Dembele is thought to be an alternative for United as the club is believed still bent on signing Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho. Yet a deal on the Bundesliga sensation is proving to be elusive for Solskjaer and the latest from BVB indicated that the German side is unwilling to let go of the young star this summer.
If indeed Sancho will not make the switch this summer, then United will likely settle for the Dembele signing with Barcelona proving to be more than eager to get the winger off their books.
Since linking up with the Spanish giants, the Frenchman struggled to find the form that won him titles with Dortmund and made him part of the World Cup-winning French team in 2018. Dembele's stint with Barcelona is plagued by injuries that forced him to miss a significant number of matches, including the past season where Barca ended the campaign trophy-less.
Amid the questions on Dembele's less than stellar showing at Camp Nou, it is clear that the club can use reinforcements in the ongoing season, and adding the forward could make things easier for Solskjaer, even if only in the short-term.
United defender Luke Shaw agreed that his side needs a boost as shown by the recent defeat against Crystal Palace.
"I think we need more players to strengthen the squad ... It can give us a boost. When you look around at how other teams are strengthening their teams, then we must also do it to keep up with the others," Metro reported the left-back as saying.
Shaw added that United needed to focus too on playing as a squad while trying to make roster upgrades.
