Report Claims Man Utd Considering Shock Barcelona Swap Deal Involving Unsettled French Star
Manchester United and Barcelona have been linked with a shock summer swap deal that would see unsettled forward Anthony Martial leave Old Trafford for Camp Nou, and France national team winger Ousmane Dembele head in the opposite direction.
The potentially wild claim comes from Don Balon, with United manager Jose Mourinho apparently keen to take advantage of Barça doubts over Dembele.
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The 20-year-old struggled with injuries during his debut season in Spain after sealing a €105m, excluding an extra €40m worth of add-ons, move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
In trying to land Dembele, it is said that Mourinho would be willing to lose Martial, a player who was reported back in April to have rejected the offer of a new United contract after growing frustrated at a lack of opportunities.
Despite a very promising start to the 2017/18 campaign, during which he shared duties on the left wing with Marcus Rashford, Martial's season effectively fell off a cliff following the January arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
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The former Monaco starlet now has just 12 months left on his contract and failure to convince him to sign a new one could result in United taking a huge financial hit unless they cash in now.
Don Balon alleges that Barcelona would accept a swap deal of Martial for Dembele if United also include an additional €25m as part of any offer. Alternatively, it is said that the Spanish champions would waive the fee if United are willing to offer Ander Herrera as well.
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The tenacious midfielder is said to be well liked by Barça coach Ernesto Valverde, with the pair having previously worked together at Athletic Bilbao.
