Barcelona have resigned themselves to losing tricky winger Ousmane Dembele to one of Manchester United or Juventus when his contract expires in the summer.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona believe that the Frenchman has already agreed terms to join one of the two super clubs, following Barcelona’s own failed attempts to get him to sign a contract.
Dembele has struggled for fitness across his time at the Nou Camp, and has therefore only made a limited impact compared to what he might have been expected to when he joined from German side Borussia Dortmund in 2017 in a deal worth well in excess of £120m.
The 24-year-old’s contract with the Blaugrana is running out in the coming summer, leaving him free to negotiate with other clubs on a pre-contractual agreement.
Considering the two teams who are mentioned, Dembele could equally make a move to either side.
United will always be eager to improve their options, and with the likely departure of a number of attackers across the next two windows they may well seek to replenish their ranks with the acquisition of Dembele. They can certainly afford his wages too.
Juventus are also in the same predicament. They are in more need of bumping up their attack as they have struggled at times this season, with Federico Chiesa and Paulo Dybala the only two players in the Juventus attack who could be labelled as world-class talents.
However, Juventus are also trying to lessen their wage bill, and unless they have agreed a reduced contract for him it would seem unlikely that they would choose to sign such a potentially burdenous player given his injury record.
Likewise, while United won’t see a problem with his wages, them going for another winger when they just spent big on Jadon Sancho seems baffling, also considering the abundance of talent United already have in wide positions.