Manchester City are preparing to make a bid for Rennes prodigy Ousmane Dembele, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with the Ligue 1 outfit last month but is regarded as one of the best emerging talents in French football.
The Citizens, however, face fierce competition to sign the young forward with Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg all keeping tabs on Dembele’s progress – with the latter having a £1.7m bid rejected in the summer.
It is understood that City scouts have been occasionally watching Dembele play since new New York City boss Patrick Vieira suggested that they sign him some months ago.
Despite their best efforts of keeping him at the club by tying him down to a senior contract, Rennes’ resolve is poised to be tested in the coming months by the Blues – and potentially some other clubs too.
Will the left-winger make an early career move to one of the leading forces in world football? Or will he remain in France and get a taste of first-team football against the likes of PSG and AS Monaco?
