Manchester United are expected to sign a striker at the end of the season when Wout Weghorst returns to his parent club, as Erik ten Hag will be left with only Anthony Martial in attack this summer – a player who’s been injured for much of the campaign.
James Marshment of TEAMtalk said on Wednesday that United are considering a move for Moussa Dembele, with the 26-year-old leaving Olympique Lyonnais when his contract expires in the coming months. Aston Villa and Borussia Monchengladbach are among a long list of potential suitors.
Dembele signed a five-year deal from Celtic in 2018 but he will be released over the summer as he was unwilling to sign a new deal beyond 2023. The ex-French U21 international made 169 appearances in all competitions for Lyon, scoring 70 goals with 19 assists, so he boasts an impressive return. He is valued at around £16m by Transfermarkt but Man Utd are now eyeing a bargain free transfer swoop this summer.
Dembele bagged 22 goals with five assists from 36 games across the board last season hasn’t been at his best this season – three goals from 25 games. Signing him on a free transfer wouldn’t be a bad piece of business as his record is considerable better than Weghorst’s.
The 30-year-old has scored just two goals with two assists from 18 games since joining on loan from Burnley in January, so it’s highly unlikely that he’ll signed permanently for them in the coming months.
Replacement
Martial was meant to be United’s main striker for the season, along with Cristano Ronaldo, but he’s only featured in nine of their 26 league games, scoring three goals with two assists. The 27-year-old has spent much of the campaign sidelined with injury, and Ronaldo wasn’t a reliable option in his stead either.
The 38-year-old started only four league games before having his contract mutually terminated in November, so Ten Hag may want more than one striker coming in the opposite direction this summer. Dembele would improve the squad without breaking the bank, so it makes sense that United would be keen. The 26-year-old would surely jump at the chance to join the Red Devils too.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are higher on United’s wishlist, but Dembele does have a respectable scoring record in Scotland (51 goals and 18 assists from 94 games for Celtic) and France.
He didn’t do badly in his last time in England (19 goals and nine assists in 64 games for Fulham) either, so time will tell if he returns.
