Man Utd 'scout' Moussa Dembele in Lyon's Europa League win over Porto
By Tom Gott
Manchester United are thought to have sent scouts to watch Lyon striker Moussa Dembele in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Porto.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has already confirmed that the club will look for a younger striker in the summer, with Edinson Cavani set to leave upon the expiry of his contract and the long-term future of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo far from certain.
According to the Daily Mail, they could be about to reignite their long-standing interest in Dembele as scouts were sent to the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday to get a closer look at the Frenchman.
Those scouts watched Dembele create the only goal of the game, flashing some great vision with a deft touch to set up Lucas Paqueta to slot home and secure a 1-0 away victory in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.
Dembele, who has nine goals in 19 Ligue 1 games this season, has just 18 months remaining on his contract in Lyon and could well be sold this summer if he fails to agree of an extension. A fee of £25m is suggested as enough to convince Lyon to sell.
One thing that works in Dembele's favour for a switch to United is the fact that he actually qualifies as a homegrown player in the Premier League because of his time at Fulham between 2012 and 2016.
There's no guarantee that United will move for Dembele, but what seems certain is that the Red Devils will be on the lookout for at least one new striker - perhaps even two if Marcus Rashford cannot be convinced to stay.
90min understands that Rashford is considering his future at Old Trafford after failing to hold down a regular spot in the starting lineup under Rangnick, though he is aware that the veteran German will not be in the dugout for much longer - and is prepared to speak to whoever United appoint to discuss next steps.
The 24-year-old is also aware that Rangnick's eventual transition to a consultancy role at United could harm his chances of regular minutes, with a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming winter World Cup potentially at stake.