Manchester United were linked with Ousmane Dembele towards the end of the transfer window.

The Red Devils were attempting to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho throughout the majority of the summer but were unable to get a deal over the line.

As a result, the Barcelona winger emerged as a potential alternative.

The Guardian reported in September that United had opened talks with the Catalan club over a potential loan deal for the Frenchman.

Barcelona would have preferred to sell him, while Dembele wanted to stay, and the deal, of course, did not happen.

Still, despite doing deals for wingers Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri, Sport Witness carries a report from Mundo Deportivo claiming that the club are making discreet moves to secure Dembele’s signature.

United are said to be keen to sign the 23-year-old in January, though they will have to reach a compromise over the fee.

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Barcelona want between €70m and €80m (£62.9m and £71.9m), a fee United aren’t willing to pay.

Manager Ronald Koeman is not set to stand in his way if a proposal does come in and a loan deal is floated as a possibility.

Dembele would again prefer to stay at the club and as he has a contract until 2022, there may be no rush for him to leave.

United are aware of that, meaning that they could well revisit this in the summer if they are not able to secure his signature in the winter window.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

United’s failure to sign a winger is becoming a running theme in every single transfer window.

The summer window is shut, and the January window hasn’t opened, and yet here we are, discussing the club’s potential move for Dembele.

He does not appear to be an important member of Koeman’s squad, given that he has made just four starts in La Liga, and he has scored just once in the top-flight, in the 5-2 win over Real Betis.

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Dembele has scored twice in the Champions League, against Ferencvaros and Juventus, but he is in a rather bizarre situation in Catalunya.

He has played both on the right wing and the left wing this term, meaning he would offer some versatility to United, but it remains to be seen if they can convince him to make the move.

The 23-year-old is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt but the report again makes it clear that he would prefer to stay.

Expect this to turn into another long-running saga. Wonderful.