Manchester United are reportedly looking to launch a new bid for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Reports by Mundo Deportivo in Spain, carried by The Sun give the impression that United will offer £65 million plus bonuses for the 25-year-old.
United have previously been told that Barcelona want to receive £74 million for the Netherlands international with no bonuses but with the end of the month fastly approaching and no other clubs interested in the player, a deal will need to come quickly.
It is suggested that United ned bid of £65 million plus bonuses could finally seal the deal, providing the bonuses are easily attainable and Barcelona can get their guaranteed £74 million for the player. It could well be that Erik ten Hag finally gets his first signing completed.
This saga has dragged on for more than a few weeks now and it is getting pretty boring with no real ground gained by either club. Barcelona need to sell in order to rejuvenate their squad and United need to find replacements for the midfield with Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matić gone.
United will need to sign a number of players this summer with Christian Eriksen also linked to the club – but the likes of Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur and even West Ham United seem to be interested. Ajax duo Antony and Lisandro Martínez have also been linked.
Ten Hag worked with De Jong for around two years before the midfielder left for Barcelona and he fits the style that the new manager would like to implement at United. Some supporters would like a world class midfielder – but that has not worked out in the past with Pogba.
United will start their preseason training from Monday, at least for the players that did not represent their international teams after the 2021/22 season ended back in May and will depart for Thailand and Australia in early July, presumably with the majority of the squad in place.
It is important for United to get signings done before preseason ends so the new players can get some game time with their new teammates and get a good start ahead of the new Premier League season starting around the 7 August – with United at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
If this De Jong deal finally gets resolved and United sign the player, the club can then concentrate on getting other deals done with reports by James Robson suggesting that United have done the groundwork for a number of deals which are ‘expected to be concluded soon.’
Written by John Walker
Discover more from Daily Man Utd News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.