Lyon striker Moussa Dembele in action. (Getty Images)
According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United are plotting a £40m summer swoop for Lyon star Moussa Dembele.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to rebuild the club’s spine with fresh, promising and hungry talent and is keen to add Moussa Dembele to his squad next season.
The French forward, 22, who joined Lyon from Celtic last summer, has bagged 20 goals and five assists in all competitions in his debut season at Groupama Stadium. His rich exploits in Ligue 1 has caught the attention of Manchester United, who finished sixth in what happened to be a miserable 2018/19 campaign.
The Red Devils have missed out on a place in the Champions League following a forgettable campaign. Solskjaer has been tasked with bringing the glory days back at the club, but it won’t be a simple task in any case. Just as much as the defence needs revamping, the Norwegian would be keen to bolster his attacking options ahead of the new campaign.
With Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez in the squad, United managed just 65 goals in the league—30 lesser than what champions Manchester City conjured. That clearly tells how badly Solskjaer requires a prolific goalscorer in his ranks.
Romelu Lukaku failed to convince the United manager and his agent admitted last month that the Belgian striker could be on the move in the summer as he is open to new challenges away from England. Lukaku managed just six goals in all competitions since the turn of the year, failing to live up to the expectations of the manager as well as the fans.
That being said, signing Moussa Dembele would be a step in the right for United. Dembele could be viewed as a potential replacement for Lukaku. The Frenchman is regarded as one of the best young strikers in Europe and polished his credentials further with 14 Ligue 1 strikes this campaign for Lyon.
Blessed with pace, power and strength, the 22-year-old is a clinical finisher in front of goal when presented with chances. He is a composed striker and is a good passer of the ball, while he can create chances too.
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The former Fulham ace could potentially make a dream trio alongside Rashford and Martial up front next season. A Dembele-Rashford-Martial trio would be a great blend of pace, power and agility, which would give Solskjaer’s side an exciting look going forward.
At his age, it isn’t unlikely that Dembele returns to England next season and replicates what he did in Scotland and is currently doing in France. The Frenchman would make a fantastic addition to the United squad in the likely event that Lukaku departs.