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Manchester United’s summer transfer window has remained silent thus far in terms of their acquisitions, but that may soon change as they are reportedly poised to send a new offer for midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The Manchester Evening News reported that Barcelona declined to accept the Red Devils’ first bid of €60 million ($63.5 million) plus add-ons because they would at least hope to recoup the €65 million ($68.8 million) that they shelled out for him back in 2019.
However, all is not lost just yet as the famed La Liga side has confirmed that their reported asking price of €100 million ($105.8 million) simply could not happen especially now that everyone knows they are willing to part with him.
“Barca is believed to want a guaranteed €75 million ($79.4 million), with add-ons to ensure de Jong’s overall fee surpasses what they paid Ajax to sign him,” Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News wrote.
New Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has been prioritizing the signing of de Jong because of how much they value that he could potentially bring to their midfield, a major pain point for them last season.
They also report that Ten Hag has his eyes on bringing in Brentford’s Christian Eriksen, Ajax forward Antony dos Santos (simply known as Antony) and a backup goalkeeper since Dean Henderson is about to go out on loan this summer.
De Jong has a history with the new Old Trafford manager, going as far back as 2016 when the pair were still with Dutch side Ajax.
It was there where the Dutchman showcased his growing skill level in the midfield, being a versatile piece on both ends of the ball thanks to his vision, passing, dribbling, and technique.
If a deal does happen between the two sides, de Jong will slot in perfectly well alongside Bruno Fernandes as the focal point of their struggling midfield.
But in case Manchester United fail in acquiring de Jong from Barcelona, they reportedly have fallback plans to go for, though the report did not mention any names.
At age 25, de Jong has the potential to urge Manchester United to rebuild this season as they look to climb back to relevancy after a disappointing sixth-place finish (58 points in 38 matches) in the English Premier League.
Frenkie de Jong of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s opening goal with team mates during the Supercopa de Espana Semi Final match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at Estadio Nuevo Arcangel on January 13, 2021 in Cordoba, Spain.
Photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images
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