Frenkie de Jong barcelona
Manchester United are reportedly planning to make an ambitious swoop to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, as per transfer expert Mike Brown.
After moving to the Catalan giants from Ajax Amsterdam for a big fee, the Dutchman initially struggled to showcase his best in La Liga. His injury problems were one of the reasons behind this, and the Blaugrana previously attempted to sell him.
The Red Devils made a concrete approach to buy him a few years ago and even agreed on a deal in principle with Barcelona. However, the midfielder refused to leave; as a result, a deal didn’t come to fruition.
Since Hansi Flick’s arrival as the manager, De Jong has established himself as an undisputed starter for Barcelona, helping his side win the domestic treble last term.
The 28-year-old has entered the final year of his current contract, so his long-term future at Camp Nou isn’t secured at the moment. Now, on Football Insider, Brown says that Ruben Amorim is keen on signing a new midfielder at Man Utd next year, and the Red Devils have registered their interest in signing De Jong.
United hold a long-term interest in the midfielder as they not only attempted to buy him a few years ago, but they also wanted him during his Ajax days. However, he eventually opted to join Barcelona at that time.
De Jong to Man Utd
The transfer expert states that Barcelona have been in contact with De Jong to extend his deal. However, if the negotiations don’t come to fruition and the player decides to leave, Man Utd would have the opportunity to sign him finally next year.
Brown said:
“It doesn’t come as a surprise that Man United are looking at him[De Jong] again, they feel he would add something in midfield which they haven’t got at the moment. Everybody knows Amorim wants a new midfielder and he has been one they like the look of.
“Whether they can get a deal done will depend on Barcelona, if his contract talks have delayed then maybe he could make a move and take advantage of that. It looks like it’ll be up to him, if he fancies a move then he’ll look at his options and Man United will be among them, but otherwise he might decide to stay at Barcelona.”
Man Utd currently have Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes as midfield options. However, the Brazilian has entered the final year of his current contract and is expected to leave next year.
On the other hand, Ugarte has been underwhelming since joining from PSG last year. Bruno isn’t a natural defensive-minded midfielder, while Mainoo has been on the periphery under Amorim.
Therefore, United desperately need a new midfielder, and an experienced player like De Jong, valued at around £39m by Transfermarkt, would be a great coup should they eventually manage to secure his service.