As Manchester United chiefs actively scour the market for a suitable midfield addition, they’ve again landed on Frenkie de Jong – much to fans’ dismay.
The Reds’ reported interest comes two years on from a tedious saga in Erik ten Hag’s maiden transfer window, during which they had a bid accepted by Barcelona for the Dutchman but failed to convince him of an Old Trafford move.
De Jong was ultimately reluctant to part ways with Barcelona, and United continued doing their utmost to change his mind despite his stance being clear from the get-go.
Failing to land his signature, the board then turned their attention to another La Liga maestro – albeit a considerably older one – and signed Casemiro from Real Madrid for a whopping £70 million on a four-year deal. Yet another questionable piece of business on United’s end.
Now, Manchester World claims that INEOS’ transfer department has made a ‘tentative approach’ to the Blaugrana to assess De Jong’s availability, with hopes of a deal in the region of £30-40m being possible. Talks are not advanced, and it’s thought that new coach Hansi Flick would prefer to keep the former Ajax starlet at his disposal.
Read more: INEOS switch attention from Ugarte to £38m alternative who ‘shocked’ Liverpool scouts
Why United should put an end to De Jong interest once and for all
Per a TeamTalk report shared on July 20, De Jong is the highest-paid player in the Spanish top flight. He pockets an eye-watering €721,154 each week, yet you’d struggle to pinpoint many performances in recent seasons that have warranted such a fee.
As well as that, the 27-year-old’s injury record leaves a lot to be desired. After last season’s unprecedented fitness crisis, an unreliable midfielder is the last thing the club needs.
