Manchester United have reportedly been given the opportunity to seal the transfer of long-term transfer target Frenkie de Jong, as he could leave for Barcelona for around €70million this summer.
The Netherlands international has long been on the Red Devils’ radar, but for one reason or another a deal has never materialised, though it now looks like this summer could be the year he finally makes a move.
That’s according to Spanish outlet Todo Fichajes, who report that De Jong’s wages are an issue for Barcelona, so they’re ready to offload him for around €70million, though Man Utd are not mentioned alongside the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and unspecified Premier League clubs in this report.
Still, De Jong was recently linked with United by another report from the Spanish press, El Nacional, while their midfield remains an issue after a poor season at Old Trafford from the likes of Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat.
De Jong transfer: Can Man United finally land the Dutch midfield maestro?
If De Jong is finally available, this could be hugely important for United, with Erik ten Hag surely more likely to be able to play the style of football he wants with this key midfield player, who he had with him at Ajax a few years ago, coming in to pull the strings in the middle of the park.
We’ll surely see plenty of changes at MUFC this summer, however, and it might be that Ten Hag will be someone who’s shown the door and replaced by new co-owners INEOS, who will no doubt be keen to rebuild this club almost from top to bottom after a difficult few years.
De Jong could, of course, be a good signing for other managers, but it remains to be seen if he’ll still be as much of a priority, while he might also be more tempted by someone like PSG or Bayern as they’d be more likely to offer a realistic chance at major silverware.