Manchester United identify Ousmane Dembele as Sancho alternative
Manchester United preparing for every possible scenario.
Talks between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund regarding Jadon Sancho seem to have hit an impasse with a deal appearing less and less likely.
As a result, the club is now identifying alternatives to Sancho should a deal ultimately not be reached. One such player is Ousmane Dembélé.
According to ESPN, Manchester United are considering making a move for the French forward if further talks for Sancho break down.
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The report claims that Man United have had informal discussions about a possible season-long loan with an option to buy. While no concrete offers have been made Barcelona would be open to negotiations over the former Borussia Dortmund player.
Dembélé’s time at Barcelona has been marred by injuries. He’s been out since November of last year after suffering a hamstring injury in the group stage of the Champions League against the aforementioned Dortmund.
He’s back in training with the team and could be available for selection against Bayern Munich.
Barcelona find themselves in a difficult financial situation and would be willing to sell Dembélé for the right price. It would help out their plans for next season as at the moment they cannot buy players until they sell off a few.
One of the reasons Man United have set their sights on the 23-year-old is because they are unwilling to pay what Dortmund want for Sancho. The Bundesliga side refuse to budge and he’s been heavily featured in some of their recent social media posts.
They have made it clear that if United want Sancho, they are going to have around the €100 million mark.
The latest words by the Michael Zorc, the Dortmund sporting director, sure make it seem like the player will be at the club next season.
"“We plan on having Jadon Sancho in our team this season,” said Zorc.“The decision is final. I think that answers all of our questions.”Source: BBC"
Unless Manchester United come close to what Dortmund are demanding, then there is no deal to be made. They are in no rush to sell. They have a tremendous track record is scouting and signing young talent like Dembélé, Christian Pulisic and Sancho for a small fee and then cashing in when the time is right.
With Manchester United qualifying for the Champions League next season, they are going to have to improve their squad to be able to compete on all fronts. They had made Sancho their top priority but need to be flexible.
Ousmane Dembélé is their plan B. They can ill-afford to fixate on one player, lose out on him and then not have anyone else as back-up.
In addition to convincing Barcelona on a loan with an option to buy, they are going to need to convince Dembélé as well who has reiterated that he wants to stay at Barcelona and prove himself.
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The focus now falls back on Man United and Ed Woodward who is in charge of the transfer dealings. They need to make a decision soon. They don’t want to risk focusing too much on one player when there are other areas on the team that also need improving.