Man United eyeing Frenkie de Jong but accept a deal is difficult with Barcelona demanding £70m

Manchester United are interested in signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona this summer to reunite the Holland midfielder with his old manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

However, there are a number of obstacles to be overcome including Barca’s £70million valuation and De Jong’s reluctance to leave the Nou Camp.

United will be in the market for a new central midfielder when Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba leave as free agents at the end of next month, and sources have confirmed that De Jong is a player the club admire.

Preliminary talks are understood to have taken place with his representatives, but speculation in Spain that a deal may be close is said to be premature.

The 25-year-old played under new United manager Ten Hag when Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019 before joining Barca in a £65m transfer.

De Jong has had a largely disappointing time since then and it’s understood that he is among a number of players who will be available this summer as coach Xavi looks to rebuild his squad.

However, Barca want to make a profit on the player which could rule out United who will have a limited budget after missing out on the Champions League.

De Jong has no desire to leave after settling at the Catalan club, and it’s also understood that he would be reluctant to join a team that isn’t playing in Europe’s elite competition. 

United are set to be in the Europa League or, worse still, the Europa Conference League following their worst ever Premier League campaign.

Ten Hag is set to turn his attention to United after guiding Ajax to a third Dutch title but could have his work cut out persuading De Jong to come to Old Trafford.

Another ex-Ajax player, Donny van de Beek, will return to United after a loan spell at Everton this summer hoping for a fresh start under his old boss after struggling for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United have been linked with several other midfield targets including England duo Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice. However, Phillips is wary of upsetting Leeds fans who have a long-standing hatred of United and West Ham value Rice in the region of £150m.

Barcelona are reportedly set to put nine players up for sale, including de Jong this summer as boss Xavi looks to rebuild his squad after a disappointing season.

Boss Xavi has been very clear that they need to bring in reinforcements to challenge Real Madrid for the LaLiga title and compete in the Champions League once again.

The option to sell De Jong is said to be the most appealing to Barcelona as it would generate multi-million pound funds for the club and a profit on the £64m they paid for him. 

However, the Spanish side are said to be targeting Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva as part of their squad renovations and could offer the reigning Premier League champions a swap deal involving De Jong to land the Portugal international. 

City are among a number of clubs to have reportedly shown interest in De Jong, with manager Pep Guardiola said to be an admirer. 

The club have already sealed the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, announcing the deal earlier this week but according to reports City are expected to complete more business this summer. 

Guardiola will look to fill the void left by Fernandinho’s departure at the end of the season, leaving City on the hunt for a new midfielder.