Ronald Koeman hopeful of Ousmane Dembele stay amid Manchester United links

Ronald Koeman has said that he is hopeful Manchester United-linked forward Ousmane Dembele will remain at Barcelona beyond the end of the season.

The France international proved his importance to Barca on Monday night with a late winner against Real Valladolid.

That was the 23-year-old's fifth goal in nine matches for club and country, having managed to put his high-profile injury issues behind him.

Dembele is out of contract at Camp Nou next summer and Barca are reportedly looking to cash in at the end of the campaign.

However, with Man United and Juventus rumoured to be readying offers for the Frenchman, Koeman has made his thoughts clear on the subject.

"I would like Dembele to stay, he is an important player for us," he told reporters.

"He showed his quality with his game and the goal against Valladolid. The key is that he has physically improved and has been able to play a lot of games in a row."

Dembele's late goal moved Barca to within one point of stuttering La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.