Manchester United were close to signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele on a season-long loan but fell through due to contract issues with the Blaugrana.

The Reds failed to land the to top transfer target Jadon Sancho after Borussia Dortmund failed to drop the transfer fee set for the highly-rated Englishman.

Barca said initially they only wanted to sell Dembele as they sought to raise the necessary cash to pay for Memphis Depay’s £23m transfer from Lyon but later agreed on a huge loan fee with United for the 23-year-old.

However, with two years left on his contract, Barca did not want to see him return to the club with only two years left on his deal if he had an impressive season at Old Trafford.

The problem then came when Barca asked him to sign a contract extension until 2023 so as to avoid being in a weaker position to demand a large fee for a player who would only have one year left after his stint at Old Trafford.

A disgruntled Dembele refused and the move collapsed — as did Barca’s plan for Depay, with La Liga chiefs stepping in to block the move as the Catalan club could not afford the fee.

Daily Mail reports that Dembele is now looking to leave in January with his future uncertain.