You would do well to remember the last transfer window that wantaway Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele was not linked with a move to Manchester United.
Despite several years and a growing number of transfer windows having been and gone, the Frenchman continues to be the subject of a never-ending transfer rumour, with United continuing to be linked with the former Borussia Dortmund star, whose future, as we enter the final days of the January window, remains as unpredictable as ever.
Although the 24-year-old wants to stay at the Nou Camp beyond Monday evening's deadline, Barcelona have, not for the first time, told the winger to find a new club. Dembele has been at the centre of a contract dispute for several months. He wants to stay and see out his contract that expires in the summer, whereas the La Liga giants want to offload him now.
Furthermore, he has also turned down the fresh contract offer that Barcelona have presented to him, with the deal said to have involved a pay-cut.
Perhaps in their biggest stand against Dembele's demands yet, Barcelona, as reported by The Athletic, are now working on a deal to re-sign former winger Adama Traore from Wolves on loan for the remainder of the season, in a deal that features the option to buy him at the end of the season. The possibility of securing a deal for the lightning-quick winger ahead of the deadline is only going to push Dembele further down the pecking order and motivate Barcelona's desire to send him packing.
Considering Barcelona paid a staggering £121.5million for his signature back in August 2017, with Dembele, at the time, tipped to go onto become of the best players on the planet, the Spanish giants, who are still facing financial difficulties, are going to have to stomach a huge loss, so much so that a recent report by French newspaper Le Parisien claimed that a £17million offer would be enough to sign him.
In truth, Barcelona could be accused of jumping the gun too quickly. Dembele had only spent one season at Dortmund and, whilst it cannot be denied that he did impress, scoring ten goals and grabbing 21 assists during the 2016/17 campaign, it was an eye-watering fee for a player so young and inexperienced, even if his potential did blind their thinking.
His time at Barcelona could not have been more disastrous if he had tried. Playing just 129 times in almost five years, the winger, who has scored 31 goals and claimed 23 assists during that time, has seen his career dictated by injury issues, so much so that he has missed over 100 matches due to being sidelined since he joined the club. Furthermore, off-field issues have also played a key role in Dembele's forgettable time in Spain, such as failing to attend club events that he was expected to put an appearance in at.
Taking all of that into account, plus his demand for an improved salary at the Nou Camp, United need to steer clear, even though they are not expected to launch a last-minute move for the France international, who was considered as a genuine alternative to long-term target Jadon Sancho in the summer of 2020, just as it looked as though the Reds would never lay their hands on the England star.
United, of course, have since added Sancho to their ranks, meaning they are not short on options when it comes to wide players, with Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Elanga all striving to earn regular places out wide.
Like several players of the past, some thrive in a different environment after failing in others. Just ask Alexis Sanchez.
But United, even if they were tempted by a late move for Dembele, should avoid it at all costs. Despite being only 24, Dembele's injury record makes for grim reading, and the Reds cannot afford to carry a player on such high wages that may only be able to offer his services in dribs and drabs.
Somebody, somewhere, will almost definitely take that gamble, but United shouldn't, even if the long-running transfer rumours linking him with a move to Old Trafford continue to rumble on and dominate the gossip columns.
Traore may soon check-in at the Nou Camp, but the prospect of Dembele departing should not even creep into United's thoughts.
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