Frankie de Jong couldn’t help but laugh when asked if he would trade Barcelona with Manchester United this summer. The new head of the Red Devils, Eric ten Haag, has reportedly insisted on involving the Dutchman, with whom he worked at Ajax, in a big money deal that could continue in the coming days.
United’s ties to De Jong have been known for some time, as Ten Haag is looking for a star worthy of becoming the centerpiece of his new midfielder. Paul Pogba will leave Old Trafford, among others, which creates more than enough space for the Dutchman to seal his authority in the middle of the park.
And since Barcelona are still in a difficult financial situation, it seems that selling De Jong at auction is a necessary evil for them this summer. After the stars began to equalize, a reporter raised the issue in everyone’s minds after the Netherlands drew with Poland on Saturday.
“Are you leaving the Catalan beaches because of the cold of Manchester?” He asked before De Jong burst out laughing, as if he knew the inevitable question was coming, and replied, “I can’t say anything.”
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And a return to the top four in the next campaign is in no way guaranteed to move at the speed at which the teams around United are seeking to strengthen. Liverpool and Manchester City are expected to start again next campaign, but it would be a surprise if Tottenham do not start after a productive summer, which has already attracted the respected boss Antonio Conte with a number of his best goals.
That could leave only one place in the top four, and Ten Hag will naturally hope that De Jong’s future arrival will make a difference. But his services will not be cheap. United have already turned down an offer of around £ 60 million and could take somewhere closer to £ 73 million to close the deal.
This will tear a significant part of the club’s transfer budget for the first summer of Ten Haag at the helm, despite the need to strengthen several other positions. Many fans called for the replacement of Aaron One-Bisaka, while, like Jurien Timber and Pau Torres, they were linked as central defenders.
Reinforcements at the top are also not ruled out, especially now that Liverpool seem to have scored when signing Benfica striker Darwin Nunes.
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