Manchester United are understood to be optimistic about their chances of beating Chelsea to the signature of Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé.
Both Premier League sides have been following Dembélé for a while and there was even talk of January bids for the Frenchman, but Lyon publicly dismissed such reports and insisted their star striker was going nowhere.
The two teams have retained their interest in Dembélé, and Lyon's stance on the deal appears to have changed. Financial problems stemming from their failure to reach the Champions League could force them to sell some of their top stars, and the Daily Star note that United are ready to take advantage.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sent scouts to watch Dembélé on a number of occasions in the past six months, and given he managed 16 goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances before the season was cancelled, they will likely have been impressed with what they saw.
The Red Devils are said to be 'desperate' to land Dembélé, and the feeling is thought to be mutual. The 23-year-old is eager to move to Old Trafford - something which was first revealed back in February - and United are now thought to be working on a deal which could be worth around £60m.
The report states that United are prepared to offer a higher fee than Chelsea and they are also willing to offer superior personal terms.
Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Dembélé just yet, but a source has confirmed to 90min that the Blues are looking at a number of different strikers amid fears that some of their targets may be unattainable.
Lyon are preparing themselves for a tough summer, in which they expect some of their top stars to consider leaving in search of top level European football.
When discussing the likes of Dembélé, Houssem Aouar, Memphis Depay, president Jean-Michel Aulas recently told Le Progrès (via Get French Football News): "I am going to do everything to keep the players. But players who are programmed to play in Europe could want to go elsewhere because we don’t have European football.”
Aouar is expected to be offloaded for a bargain fee of €50m, while Depay is also thought to prefer a move away from Lyon after the French side's disappointing campaign.
Source : 90min