Manchester United no longer interested in Ousmane Dembele
A report by Spanish outlet Sport (h/t The Mirror), claims that Manchester United have retracted their transfer interest in Barcelona star, Ousmane Dembele. The Red Devils were prepared to pay £43million for his services. However, they have walked away from any potential deal due to another injury to the Frenchman.
The Frenchman picked up an injury for France at UEFA Euros 2020 during the group stages. He has successfully undergone surgery and the report mentions that the 24-year-old can miss up to four months of football. And with the current situation at Old Trafford, fans should not be worried about United’s decision regarding the winger. We find out why.
The Jadon Sancho chase
Manchester United are looking likely to complete the transfer of Borussia Dortmund superstar, Jadon Sancho. The English right-winger has been on United’s books for quite some time now, but this summer, it looks like the deal can reach a definitive conclusion.
The Daily Mail reports that United are hopeful of completing a deal for the winger in the coming days for a fee in the region of £77million. Sancho, the 21-year-old superstar winger at Borussia Dortmund, would undoubtedly be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s solution down the right-hand side, a position that has needed strengthening for a while now.
Dembele is a versatile winger but largely plays down the right-hand side. United also have Marcus Rashford as a prominent starter down the left wing. If Sancho does end up signing, Dembele’s pursuit would not have made sense. Given the French international’s reputation, he would have wanted to start.
Similarly, that would be the case for Sancho as well. With United nearing a potential deal for the Englishman, it is better for them to not look for another starter down that flank. And that is because they still have a few more positions that could do with some strengthening during the summer transfer window.
The future seems secure
United could do with a right-back to compete with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a centre-back to offer Harry Maguire a stable partner throughout the course of the season, and a potent striker to compete with Edinson Cavani. With these areas possibly needing strengthening, United’s focus should not be on wingers if they are also chasing Sancho for the same spot.
Apart from the possible inclusion of Sancho, United have more youngsters that will vie for minutes down the wings. Mason Greenwood (19), the highly-rated January signing Amad Diallo (18), Facundo Pellistri (19), Tahith Chong (21) and even Daniel James (23) are all youngsters that are capable of occupying the wide positions in attack for the club.
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Signing Dembele could hamper the progress of some of them. Moreover, there is no hiding that the former Rennes winger is highly injury-prone. He has suffered a number of fitness issues at Barcelona since his £135.5million move in 2017. This is a potential problem that Solskjaer should be happy to avoid at Old Trafford.
