Manchester United were prepared to pay €50m (£43m) for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele before the Frenchman was sidelined with a knee injury, according to journalist Xavi Campos.

The Spanish reporter was speaking on Catalan radio station Onze when he claimed the Red Devils were keen on snapping up the 24-year-old before withdrawing their interest following his latest injury setback:

⚠️ EL MANCHESTER UNITED VOLIA DEMBÉLÉ
?️ @XaviCampos:

? “Estava disposat a pagar uns 50M€ per ell aquest estiu i no era la primera vegada que s’hi interessava”

? “Tot això va canviar amb la lesió. Ni el més optimista a Can Barça pensa que pugui arribar cap oferta”#OnzeE3 pic.twitter.com/ucx1luJyfP

— Onze (@OnzeTv3) June 28, 2021

Dembele has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in recent months, with the forward having just one year left on his contract at the Camp Nou. However, he had to be substituted in the 1-1 draw against Hungary last week due to a knee problem and he has now undergone surgery with the player expected to be out for up to four months.

United were likely considering the France international as a potential alternative to Jadon Sancho, and with the Borussia Dortmund star expected to finalise his move to Old Trafford within days, it doesn’t seem like the Red Devils will be too concerned about missing out on the Barca player.

An agreement to sign Sancho is said to have been reached with reports suggesting United will pay between €85m (£74m) and €90m (£77.3m) for the 21-year-old.