Man Utd pushing to sign €70m midfield star, Erik ten Hag wants him - report
Manchester United are trying everything to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer, reputed journalist Florian Plettenberg claims.
The Red Devils are set to pursue a defensive midfielder with Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba expected to leave at the expiry of their contracts in June.
De Jong has recently emerged as the prime target and it is now reported that the club are ‘trying everything’ to bring him to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag also wants to reunite with his former Ajax midfielder, but there is still a major stumbling block towards a summer transfer.
While talks have been held between the clubs, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has no plans of losing the 25-year-old’s services.
Our view:
Ten Hag is likely to demand more technical players in the squad and De Jong would be an ideal acquisition for the midfield department.
The Dutchman is excellent with the ball at his feet and has completed over 91 per cent of his passes for Barcelona throughout the LaLiga season.
He has averaged just over one tackle per game, but it has been primarily from playing in a central midfield position for the Blaugrana.
During his time at Ajax, he was a genuine holding midfielder, and Ten Hag may have plans of integrating him into a similar role at United.
It has been reported that he could be prised away for around €70 million, but there could be plenty of hurdles in their pursuit this summer.
First of all, Xavi does not want to lose De Jong. There are also suggestions that the midfielder wants to continue at Camp Nou next season.
If he were to be pushed through the exit door, there is a high likeliness that he could lean towards joining a Champions League-based club.
Hence, a deal seems pretty difficult to pull through, but United still seem determined to make an approach for the Netherlands star.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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