Manchester United could finally sign Frenkie de Jong as the midfielder is willing to leave Barcelona at the end of this season, as per the journalist Lluis Canut.
After being appointed as the Red Devils’ new manager back in 2022, Erik ten Hag reportedly prioritised signing De Jong to reinforce United’s engine room.
Man Utd even agreed on a deal in principle with Barcelona to purchase the Dutchman but the midfielder refused to leave the Catalan giants so a deal didn’t materialise.
It was also reported that Man Utd were interested in signing him last summer but they didn’t get any indication that De Jong wanted to leave. So, Ten Hag’s side eventually opted not to make a move for him.
However, now Speaking to Esport3 (via The Sun), Canut has reported that De Jong is currently ‘disappointed’ at Barcelona as the Blaugrana have been struggling in recent times and aren’t anywhere near fighting for big prizes.
De Jong to Barcelona
So, the journalist claims that the Netherlands international is ‘willing’ to leave Barcelona at the end of this season, and if that were to happen, then Man Utd will have a great chance to lure him to Old Trafford.
Canut said:
“De Jong has not given the green light, but he is no longer closing the door on leaving Barca as he did two seasons ago, when he had interest, especially from Manchester United, in going to play with the coach who had him at Ajax – Ten Hag.
“At the moment, De Jong is a little disappointed by the situation at Barca because he has not managed to turn the expectations that had been generated at the time when he signed into important titles. De Jong would be willing to leave Barca at the end of this season.”
It has been suggested that Barcelona have been struggling with financial difficulties in recent times so they might be forced to sell some of their stars to raise funds in order to sign new faces. So, the Catalan giants could cash-in on the Dutchman – valued at around £68m by Transfermarkt – during the off-season.
De Jong is deemed one of the most talented midfielders in the world so he would be a great acquisition for Man Utd if they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the record Premier League champions can eventually manage to lure him to Old Trafford ahead of next season.
