Manchester United ‘close to completing deal for Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele worth up to £55m’

Manchester United are reportedly on the brink of sealing the signing of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona.

The Red Devils have been desperate in their chase for a forward all summer and have been left frustrated in pursuit of No 1 target Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

But according to AS, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks set to bring in Dembele from the fringes of the Barca team in a deal that could be worth up to €60m (£55m).

Ousmane Dembele (left) could move to Manchester United in a deal which would see Barcelona replace him former Red Devil Memphis Depay (right) from Lyon

The Spanish side then plan to use the funds from the transfer to then launch a fresh pursuit of former United flop Memphis Depay.

The Dutch winger has been a target for Barcelona throughout the summer but the club’s financial difficulties have prevented them from pressing ahead for a deal for a player who was key to helping Lyon reach the Champions League semi-finals last season.

United have had a long term interest in Dembele and were keen to land him last season before injuries to the France international prevented any deal from going through.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left, with assistant Michael Carrick) is desperate to bring in wide forward before the closure of the transfer window

Dembele featured against Villarreal on Sunday, but is on the fringes of the Nou Camp setup

With the transfer window closing on Monday, Solskjaer is now desperate to land a forward following Manchester United’s stuttering start to the season.

Previously the Red Devils had been linked with Gareth Bale before the forward opted to return to Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Real Madrid. 

Injuries have hampered Dembele since he arrived at the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £130million three years ago, while alleged discipline issues have also hindered his progress during that period.

The forward pictured with Anotoine Griezmann has reportedly already angered his manager Ronald Koeman after failing to arrive for training on time on Monday

Koeman took charge at the Nou Camp this summer and is looking to freshen up his side

Already he has got on the wrong side of new Barca boss Ronald Koeman after turning up late to a training session on Monday.

Dembele reportedly arrived at club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training complex at 10.15am, 15 minutes after Koeman’s deadline.

The new Barcelona boss demands respect for deadlines and organisation, and wants his players at the training ground at least an hour before training gets under way.

The latest misdemeanour is unlikely to have gone down well with Koeman, who has favoured Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann in the early stages of his tenure.