Manchester United are reportedly ahead of Chelsea in the transfer battle for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.
The France international will be a free agent in the summer as he nears the end of his contract at the Nou Camp and doesn’t look set to renew his deal with his current club.
According to Sport, Man Utd have been holding “intense” talks to sign Dembele, with a move to Old Trafford now considered one of his more likely options.
Chelsea had also been interested in Dembele, but now look set to struggle to win the race for his signature, with Thomas Tuchel perhaps turning his attention to strengthening other areas of his squad.
One final hurdle for United could be that Juventus are also seriously keen to seal the transfer of Dembele.
The 24-year-old is undoubtedly a tempting option for several top clubs at the moment due to his contract situation, but the deal wouldn’t be without its risks.
Despite looking such an exciting young player during his Borussia Dortmund days, Dembele has flopped at Barca and his injury record isn’t the best.
There’s clearly still a top player in there somewhere, though, so it will be interesting to see if United can get him back to his best if they do end up signing him.