Dutch international midfielder Frenkie de Jong is approaching a move to Man United with an ongoing swap deal for Barcelona, as he is aiming for a star in Manchester.
Frankie de Jong (
Image: Getty Images)
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is approaching a step at Manchester United with the Catalan giants looking for an exchange agreement.
Barcelona midfielder De Jong is one of the top transfer priorities for Ten Hag with a phone call between the two already held in which the United coach explained the role the player would play under him in the Red Devils. The central midfielder is an area in which United must strengthen their options before several key departures this term. De Jong has been identified as the club’s top candidate for the post and the Dutchman tops United’s list of summer transfer targets.
The Red Devils are in the market to rejuvenate their midfield after the departures of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba at the end of their contracts, with Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard among the other departures. That leaves Scott McTominay, Fred and Donny van de Beek as the only natural midfielders on the Ten Hag team.
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Barça have already partially offset De Jong’s imminent departure with the arrival of Franck Kessie from Milan, an agreement that has not yet been made official but that the Ivorian international will arrive at the Camp Nou as a free agent. This will complement the current headlines of Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Pedri in Xavi’s squad.
Barça are also considering a raid on United’s rivals Manchester City to land midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, whom Bild says is desperate to play for the Catalan giants. The German international was left without a contract at City in the summer of 2023 and is said to have ruled out a contract extension at the Etihad, with his “dream” of playing for Barça.
It is also rumored that Juventus are monitoring the situation of the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder, but Barça is the most likely destination, as it is the club that the German international supported as a child.
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Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract at Man City in 2023 (
Image:
Action images via Reuters)
Gundogan has been a key player for City since joining in the summer of 2016, the same year Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad. He has scored 49 goals in that time period, including 27 in the last two seasons, and has won four Premier League titles at the club.
De Jong moved to Barça in the summer of 2019 for 63 million pounds (75 million euros). The Catalans are struggling financially and there were suggestions that they could accept a strong offer from some of their players, with the Dutchman at the top of the list due to the club’s other options in office.
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