Jose Mourinho plotting £50m move for Borussia Dortmund forward to strengthen forward line

Manchester United are set to rekindle their interest in Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele after missing out last summer when he chose to move to the Bundesliga outfit from French club Rennes.

The French forward has been impressive in his debut season in the German League scoring 8 goals and racking up 17 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions. Dembele has been deployed on the wings or as an attacking midfielder and has excelled in both the roles showcasing his versatility.

The 19-year-old was subject of interest for Liverpool, United, Chelsea and Arsenal last summer, but turned down their advances in favour of Dortmund due to the lure of playing regular football. The Bundesliga outfit will be reluctant to let the forward leave after just one season at the Westfalenstadion, but could be tempted with a big money offer.

According to the Sun, Jose Mourinho is planning a move for Dembele in the summer and is reportedly willing to sanction £50m ($62.8m) in hopes of completing the transfer. The former Rennes striker confirmed turning down the Reds last summer, but a lucrative deal and the lure of playing regularly in the Premier League could turn the France international's head this time around.

United's Portuguese manager is keen on strengthening his forward line in the summer and revealed recently that he is looking for a goal poacher in the mould of former Red Devil Javier Hernandez. Mourinho's team has struggled to convert the chances they create with the manager questioning their desire in front of goal.

The United boss is aware that Dembele will be hard to prize away from Dortmund after just one season, and therefore the report claims that he has already identified an alternative in Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic, should he fail to sign his preferred target.