Report: Ousmane Dembele is Bayern Munich's Plan B After Leroy Sane
Bayern Munich are on the lookout for new wingers to replace Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, and a report in Germany has claimed that they are ready to pursue a move for Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele if they miss out on Manchester City's Leroy Sane.
The Bundesliga giants have publicly pursued Sane for weeks, although City have resisted their advances in the hope of tying the winger down to a new contract.
With a move for Sane looking unlikely, Bild claim that Bayern have identified Dembele as their 'Plan B', and they will move for the Frenchman once they are certain they have missed out on Sane.
Bild add that Dembele's impressive history in the Bundesliga is a big reason behind their interest in the 22-year-old. During his one year with domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund, Dembele racked up 10 goals and 22 assists in 50 appearances, prompting Barcelona to shell out £135.5m to sign him.
The only (and major) question about Bayern's move for Dembele would be the cost of any potential deal. Club president Uli Hoeness has previously insisted that a deal for Sane would not be possible as a result of City's 'insane' demands, and he also told Bild that Bayern are eager to avoid spending more than €80m (£71.6m) on one player.
While that self-imposed limit is by no means concrete, it is clear that Bayern do not want to spend heavily on individual signings this summer, and it seems unlikely that Barcelona would be prepared to take such a huge loss on the 22-year-old, even if they are planning to pursue both Neymar and Antoine Griezmann this summer.
Last season, Dembele managed 14 goals and nine assists for the Blaugrana, battling injuries to cement his place as an important part of the team.
That form will certainly have impressed Bayern, who find themselves in need of new wingers. Robben and Ribery will leave the club this summer, leaving just Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Alphonso Davies as the club's only recognized wingers.
Alongside Sane, Chelsea wonderkid Callum Hudson-Odoi remains in Bayern's sights, even after his Achilles injury. However, with Chelsea not keen on selling, Bayern may need to consider other options.
