Man United nearly struck £60m deal for Ousmane Dembele years before his Ballon d’Or triumph

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2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele came extremely close to becoming a Manchester United player earlier in his career.

Monday evening marked the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony, and former Manchester United star Scott McTominay finished 18th in the rankings following a superb debut season with Napoli.

But it was PSG star Ousmane Dembele who scooped the award ahead of the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

The 28-year-old played a pivotal role in PSG’s Champions League success last season and ended the campaign having scored 35 goals with 16 assists.

Now crowned as the world’s best player, Dembele almost made a move to Old Trafford during his rise to success.

Man United made an offer for Ousmane Dembele in 2020

Five years ago, United were managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Red Devils boss was scouring the market for a new winger.

Reports widely claimed that United made an offer for Dembele late into the summer 2020 window following his struggles at Barcelona.

A report from The Mirror claims that United were offered Dembele for as little as £60 million despite Barcelona spending £95 million on his signature three years before.

At the time, Dembele was a perfect signing for United but Solskjaer and the club were committed to pursuing Jadon Sancho’s signature.

Ousmane Dembele could have joined instead of Jadon Sancho

United will have huge regrets about signing Sancho knowing that four years down the line he burned bridges and left as a complete transfer flop.

Sancho joined United for £72m in 2021 – a year after the Red Devils made a big push to sign him from Borussia Dortmund.

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher gives verdict on Man Utd’s ‘worst’ signing, his main strengths remain a mystery

Dembele was considered an alternative option, but United pushed ahead with their plan to sign Sancho instead.

The careers of both players have headed in very different directions with Sancho now on loan at Aston Villa while Dembele lifts the Ballon d’Or as a Champions League winner.