Manchester United reignite interest in Barcelona midfielder
Premier League side Manchester United have reportedly refuelled their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
According to a report from The Guardian, the Dutch midfielder is again a target for Erik Ten Hag in the summer after failing to sign him at the start of this season. United’s pursuit of de Jong turned out to be a faulty one as the 25-year-old rejected The Reds on the account of missing out on Champions League football. Ironically, six months later, his current team, Barcelona got knocked out by United in a feisty clash over the two legs in the Europa League playoffs.
Barca were prepared to offload De Jong last summer and the same position is expected to be maintained to lift certain transfer market sanctions imposed on them. The Dutchman is indeed a vital part of the Catalan giant’s midfield as he has been used 32 times this season by manager Xavi, yet due to the dilapidated economic condition of the LaLiga league leaders, they will be forced to sell some of their bid names this coming transfer window to ease up their constraints.
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As things stand, Manchester United’s first priority in the summer would be to sign a centre-forward. This requirement was expected to be fulfilled in the winter but no such reliable figure was available on the market. After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the requirement became a necessity and that partially led to the signing of Wout Weghorst.
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Apart from bolstering his attack, manager Erik Ten Hag also hopes to add depth to his midfield and De Jong is a player which fits the profile perfectly. The Dutch manager has worked with the midfielder before during his time at Ajax and considering Barca’s recent history in European football, Frenkie De Jong would reconsider his stance on joining Manchester United.