Man United have been heavily linked with a move for Lyon forward Moussa Dembele during the past couple of weeks. And now it looks like Chelsea have also joined the race.
Moussa Dembele joined Lyon in 2018 from Celtic FC for a transfer fee of €22 million and last season he managed to net 23 goals in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side.
This season too the player has maintained the fine form by netting 8 goals in just 11 games in the league which is why Man United so desperately want to bring him on board.
United have struggled to score goals this season primarily since they have failed to bring in a replacement for Romelu Lukaku and it is being said that they might make a move for Moussa Dembele in January.
Now though various publications claim that Chelsea too are interested in signing the 23-year-old but that will only be possible at the end of the current season due to the transfer embargo on them.
Man United have one full transfer window to negotiate a deal for Dembele and bring him to Old Trafford but we don’t think Lyon will let him leave during the middle of the season especially when he still has two more years left on his current deal.
United are planning moves for Lille youngster Boubakary Soumare and Lyon striker Moussa Dembele. #mufc [ESPN]
— United Xtra (@utdxtra) October 28, 2019
Also if the French side are willing to wait until next summer then Chelsea will be free to sign players once again meaning Lyon can then jack up the price for Moussa Dembele more easily.
And this price hike will not only benefit Lyon but also Celtic who have a sell-clause in the forwards deal meaning they will bag a hefty commission in case Dembele heads to England.
UPDATE:
There have been reports that Chelsea’s transfer ban might be lifted before January if their appeal goes as planned in which case they will be eligible to move for Moussa Dembele right at the time when Man United will also be launching their bid.
And if this happens then surely Lyon will come under tremendous pressure from not only the interested clubs but possibly also from the player in which case they might have no other option but to cash in on the centre-forward.
