Barcelona chief denies contact with Manchester United for Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes has insisted that there have been no negotiations with Manchester United over Ousmane Dembele and the club are counting on the Frenchman to find his best form this season.

Dembele has endured a tough career with the Blaugrana and he has made only 75 appearances in all competitions over the past three years due to numerous muscular injury concerns.

He has recovered from a hamstring problem for the new campaign and Planes has indicated that the Blaugrana are relying on him to make his mark under manager Ronald Koeman.

“There are no negotiations with Manchester United. He’s a player we’re counting on. We know his potential and we hope he can show his best, with all the changes there have been in the team. I’m sure he’ll have a good year for us,” He told during the press conference for Sergino Dest’s arrival.

Over the past few months, United have been heavily linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, but they have failed to meet the hefty £108m asking price set by the Bundesliga outfit.

It had recently emerged that Dembele was the alternative option, but Planes has poured cold water to the speculation by stating that the Blaugrana are counting on Dembele to make an impact under Koeman.

Dembele was guaranteed a starting spot when he joined the Blaugrana from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017, but that no longer remains the case for him.

Antoine Griezmann and La Masia graduate Ansu Fati have recently cemented their spots on the right and left side of the attack and Dembele will have to impress off the bench to become a regular starter once more.

His fitness has let him down over the past three seasons and it remains to be seen whether he can stay unscathed over the course of the campaign to prove his worth to the Catalan giants.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com