Manchester United are preparing to make a move for Olympique Lyonnais star Moussa Dembele, according to French newspaper L'Equipe (via Sky Sports).

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The France youth international was impressive during his club's pre-season game against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium as he scored twice in a comeback victory.

It is thought that a bid in excess of £40m would be needed to tempt Lyon into selling their striker.

The move for Dembele comes off the back of summer long reports linking Romelu Lukaku with a move to Serie A clubs Juventus and Internazionale. The Belgian striker is said to be unhappy at the prospect of playing second fiddle to Marcus Rashford, who signed a new contract worth a reported £200,000 per week.

Hence, links with Dembele moving to Manchester United have strengthened over the last few weeks with Sky Sports reporting the Old Trafford giants were thinking of making the 23-year-old a target.

Dembele was in fine form last season, scoring 23 goals and assisting a further six as Lyon finished third in Ligue 1. His goal tally was higher than both Lukaku and Rashford's, with the pair scoring 15 and 13 goals respectively.

Dembele should be made a priority if Lukaku does indeed leave, with the Belgian posting a cryptic tweet which suggested he could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn't get a striker to potentially replace Lukaku then he faces having the 20-year-old Rashford as his only out-and-out striker for next season.

With Lukaku possibly on his way out, it would be stupid not to target a replacement. Dembele is a star striker who has scored a bundle of goals throughout his career, and with Manchester United scoring the fifth most out of the top six clubs in the Premier League last season, they could use Dembele as another choice alongside Rashford.

Manchester United fans, would Dembele be a good Lukaku replacement? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!