Chelsea are ready to rival Manchester United for the signing of Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele in the summer transfer window, according to Calciomercato.it.
Both Premier League clubs are keen on bolstering their front line ahead of next season and have identified the France international as a potential target.
The online news portal claims Dembele’s release clause has dropped to just £44m (€50m) this summer, making him an attractive target for the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea.
The Barcelona star suffered a fresh blow in his recovery from injury and is expected to miss his side’s El Clasico clash on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Since moving to Spain from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Dembele has been hampered by injuries and was on the verge of being sold by Barca a couple of seasons ago. He was a star at the Signal Iduna Park following his dazzling displays as he netted 10 goals and provided 22 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions for Dortmund.
At Barcelona, he has featured in 178 games in all competitions, scored 40 goals, and registered 41 assists, helping them win the La Liga, Copa Del Rey as well as the Spanish Super Cup.
This season, the pacy winger has eight goals and seven assists in 28 matches across all competitions as Barcelona sit at the summit of the La Liga table with 65 points, nine points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid.
Reinforcement
Chelsea have spent around £600m in the previous two transfer windows following the signings of players such as Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez, however, they are willing to spend more to further strengthen the squad this summer.
Graham Potter’s side are gradually picking up positive results both in the league and Champions League, having reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s topflight competition and will face Real Madrid in a two-legged tie next month.
Man United, on the other hand, are keen on signing a proven goal scorer. They signed Burnley striker Wout Weghorst on-loan for the second half of the season. But Weghorst has made only four goal contributions in 17 matches for United in all competitions and is seen as a stop gap signing.
Injuries may have hampered the progress of Dembele so far but when he is fit, he is one of the deadliest forwards in the world. The 25-year-old would be an excellent signing for either Chelsea or Man Utd if they can convince Barcelona into selling the Frenchman.
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