With Borussia Dortmund fighting to keep superstar Jadon Sancho, Manchester United have reportedly identified their No. 1 alternative attacking target.
The Red Devils' pursuit of the England international looked to have collapsed on Monday after the Bundesliga club announced that their "final" stance was that the player would be in their squad next season.
Reports suggest that United have not completely given up on signing Sancho, although it is claimed they have planned for the worst-case scenario.
According to ESPN, the English giants are lining up a move for FC Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele should they fail to sign the Dortmund winger.
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and company having reportedly been told it will take €120 million (R2.4 billion) to secure Sancho's signature, Dembele might be a significantly cheaper option.
The Frenchman spent the majority of the 2019/20 campaign on the sidelines, and is believed to be among the players the Catalan club would be open to selling in this window.
Coincidentally, one way United could sign Sancho is if the 20-year-old does what Dembele did in 2017: force a move away from Dortmund.
Until now, Sancho has not publicly stated that he wants a move to the red side of Manchester, perhaps because he does not wish to hurt his relationship with the German club.
Dembele left BVB after just a single season for a reported fee of €105 million (R2.1 billion) three years ago, and has scored 19 goals and assisted a further 17 strikes in 74 games for the Blaugrana since.
The 23-year-old, however, has struggled to stay fit at Barcelona, missing a total of 80 games through injury since his arrival at the Camp Nou.
