Manchester United showed late interest in Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé, but they only wanted to take him on a loan deal.
There was drama on the deadline day and it became even more intense after the winger left the Catalan club’s training base.
Sport even reported the Red Devils could sign the 23-year-old without a medical, but nothing of that sort happened and the Frenchman ended up staying at Camp Nou.
Today’s edition of Mundo Deportivo explains the attacker ‘did not accept’ a loan move to Old Trafford despite knowing he’s no longer a first choice under Ronald Koeman.
United were ready to pay a loan fee and take care of the World Cup winners’ entire wages.
Barca, who initially wanted to sell him, were ready to accept a loan formula, provided Dembélé extends his contract by a further year. His current deal runs until 2022.
However, the player refused to accept signing an extension.
Sport corroborate Mundo’s report, adding the Blaugrana ‘tried to convince’ him to join United on a loan deal as his exit would have helped them sign Lyon’s Memphis Depay.
It’s claimed Barca’s demand to extend the contract before sanctioning the winger’s loan move ‘ended up blowing up the operation’.
There was no agreement because each party ‘wanted something different’ and the ex-Borussia Dortmund man ‘gave no option’ for his potential exit.
The newspaper adds Dembélé ‘remained firm in his stance not to go to United’.
Sport, however, explains Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ‘could try again’ to sign Dembélé, if he ‘manages to have minutes’ and ‘shows good physical condition’ at Barcelona.
