Manchester United eyeing swap deal for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele – Reports

Manchester United eyeing swap deal for Barcelona star

If the reports from Don Balon are to be believed, Jose Mourinho and co. have shown a keen interest in signing Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele. After a disappointing debut season, the youngster is facing an uncertain future at the Nou Camp and the Spanish media house believes that he might be headed for the exit door.

Dembele joined the Catalans in a hefty £135.5 million deal from Borussia Dortmund last summer. However, following a string of injuries coupled with some unconvincing performances, the 21-year-old has fallen down the pecking order in Ernesto Valverde’s starting XI.

Now looking for a chance to redeem himself, the youngster is said to be eyeing the exit door, with Barcelona open to a possible loan move for him.

Manchester United are said to be interested, with Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool also offering a sturdy competition for the youngster's signature.  According to Don Balon, Mourinho is considering Dembele as the perfect replacement for Anthony Martial.

Martial, now 22, was mostly used as a substitute for Marcus Rashford on the left last season. The already meagre minutes under his belt took another hit when the Red Devils roped in Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January – who played in the same position.

As a result, he failed to make it to France's 23-man squad for the World Cup. He has been linked with Chelsea and Bayern Munich as he reportedly wishes to start afresh.

With Martial looking likely to head away from Old Trafford in search of more playing time, Barcelona are said to be planning a swap deal that would involve Dembele going in the reverse direction.

The report states that the deal could go through if United agree to pay an additional £22 million for the Blaugrana forward.

Elsewhere, Valverde is also believed to be interested in bringing Ander Herrera back to La Liga, with the Spaniard's contract due to expire next summer.