Man City now mulling over £90m bid for long-term Man Utd target - report
Manchester City are weighing up a £90 million bid for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong after opting against signing West Ham United ace Declan Rice this summer, The Sun claim.
The Cityzens were recently interested in a deal for Rice. They made an offer in the region of £90m, but pulled out of negotiations after Arsenal’s club-record bid of £105m for the midfielder.
Pep Guardiola is now looking for a suitable alternative and as per The Sun, he is mulling over an approach for De Jong, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last summer.
De Jong was manager Erik ten Hag’s priority target after his appointment last year. A deal was agreed with the Blaugrana, but the midfielder made it clear that he did not want to leave.
The Catalan giants remain open to selling him this summer to lower their huge wage bill. De Jong currently earns £400,000-a-week after tax.
Barcelona are likely to demand £90m from City based on their approach for Rice. Guardiola is said to be an admirer of the Netherlands international and tried to sign him from Ajax in 2019.
Man Utd unlikely to compete for De Jong
United spent a number of months negotiating with Barcelona for De Jong last summer. After finding an agreement, they could not convince the Dutchman to move to Old Trafford.
Since the transfer saga, the Red Devils have bolstered their midfield with the purchase of Casemiro. The Brazil international had a superb debut season after joining from Real Madrid for £70m.
They are currently on the verge of landing Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60m. Ten Hag wanted him on loan during his time at Ajax and the duo could start working together from next week.
After the huge outlay on Mount, it is unlikely that they will go head-to-head with City for De Jong. United have other priorities at the moment such as a new goalkeeper and a centre-forward.
Most of the United faithful should not be bothered where De Jong goes after last summer’s drama, but seeing him playing for the club’s arch-rivals next season won’t be a good sight.
Hopefully, De Jong stays firm on his ambition to continue at Barcelona. The midfielder was adamant that he was not leaving last summer. We won’t be surprised if his stance remains the same.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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