Manchester United have reignited their interest in signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona this summer, according to reports via the Daily Mail.
The 27-year-old has been a subject of much interest from the Red Devils dating back to the 2022-23 season when the English side came closest to securing the midfielder. However, a deal did not materialize with the player staying put at Camp Nou.
It appears United are now back in the fray to sign the Dutchman with Daily Mail citing a report from El National that claims the Premier League giants have rekindled their interest in De Jong and have already seen their opening offer of £42.7m rebuffed by the Catalan giants.
According to the report, Barcelona are in desperate need of funds and need to sell players to enable them to register their newly signed players and are open to selling De Jong to raise funds.
Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta is looking to recoup a significant amount of money from the sale of De Jong and is demanding £60m plus £8.5m in add-ons for the former Ajax man, as per the report.
However, Daily Mail adds that United’s hierarchy, headed by INEOS, are hesitant to pay such exorbitant fees and will be more moderate in their spending.
Old Trafford rendezvous for former Ajax stars
Erik Ten Hag joined United from Ajax in 2022, where he achieved six titles, including three consecutive Eredivisie titles.
Now, the Red Devils under INEOS are looking to build a team capable of contending for the Premier League title in the present or future and bit by bit they’ve been accumulating some impressive youngsters that will present good value for money to challenge the League heavyweights.
A rendezvous of some of Ajax’s former players who achieved dominance in the Dutch division is being recouped by the club — with Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt all being signed.
They’re now looking to reunite De Jong with Ten Hag to ensure the Dutch manager has his best personnel at the club with the hope of replicating his success at Ajax.
Barcelona’s asking price might be a stumbling block to Man United’s pursuit but considering the inflated prices of players in recent seasons, £68m is a fair price for one of the world’s best midfielders.
