Barcelona give Manchester United bad news about Ousmane Dembele

Manchester United still have a chance to sign Ousmane Dembele. but Barcelona are making the deal more difficult for the Premier League club.

Barcelona haven’t closed the door on the idea of letting Ousmane Dembele leave this summer, but they aren’t going to make the move easy for Manchester United. The Spanish club’s unwillingness to let Dembele go on loan is putting intense pressure on the Premier League giants.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Dembele has now agreed to move to Old Trafford if a suitable agreement can be reached before Monday’s transfer deadline. Previously, the young attacker seemed determined to stay put and fight for his place in Spain. This must be viewed as a positive development for United.

A loan move would have been the simplest way to clinch a move in the coming days. Understandably, Barcelona are in no mood to let Dembele go on a temporary basis. They see him as a valuable asset who can help bolster their own transfer budget in the midst of the current global pandemic.

United do have the funds available to finish off the move. The club aren’t willing to stump the £120 million necessary to pry Jadon Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund, but Dembele won’t command that type of fee. Barcelona would likely let Dembele leave for a figure of between £50 and £60 million with an appropriate payment structure.

If Dembele does leave Camp Nou in the coming hours, expect Barcelona to work hard to redeploy the cash generated from his sale. New manager Ronald Koeman is keen to add Memphis Depay to his squad as soon as possible. He’s also keen on taking his talents to La Liga if a deal can be struck quickly.

The takeaway here is that United are still working feverishly to add an attacker before the summer transfer window slams shut. Dembele is still a viable option, but the club will need to stump serious cash to get a deal done. Barcelona continue to hold all the cards in these negotiations.