Man United handed boost in pursuit of De Jong as midfielder unsure of Barcelona future

Manchester United are expected to sign at least one new midfielder this summer and the name at the very top of the Red Devils’ summer wishlist appears to be Barcelona’s, Frenkie De Jong.

Widespread reports for the last couple of weeks have suggested new manager Erik Ten Hag is desperate to be reunited with his former playmaker.

However, when it comes to the Red Devils’ pursuit of the 25-year-old midfielder, the 20-time league winners face an uphill battle to convince the Netherlands international to make the switch after failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Set for another campaign in Europe’s second-tier, it is going to be difficult for Ten Hag to keep the pace in the transfer market with some of the club’s biggest rivals.

Read more: Man United preparing £43m offer for Ajax attacker

Despite this though, although Barcelona is reportedly asking for £72m (€85m) in exchange for De Jong (Fabrizio Romano), Ten Hag and his new employers have been handed a boost after recent reports say the former Ajax midfielder is no longer sure about staying at the Nou Camp.

Frenkie De Jong in action for Barcelona.

That’s according to a recent report from Catalan outlet CCMA, who hint that De Jong could slowly be coming round to the idea of becoming Ten Hag’s first big-name signing.

A section of the outlet’s report said: “[Joan] Laporta admitted this weekend that the club is ready to sell important players. One candidate is Frenkie de Jong, who 10 days ago said he wanted to stay at Barca, but now he is not so strong.”

Since joining Barcelona from Ajax back in 2019, De Jong, who has four years left on his deal, has gone on to feature in 138 matches, in all competitions, directly contributing to 29 goals along the way.

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