BREAKING- Frenkie de Jong ‘very close to joining Man Utd’ after breakthrough in £68m transfer talks
Manchester United are ‘very close’ to signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong after agreeing a deal in the region of £68million, according to reports in the Spanish media. The Red Devils have gone in hard on trying to make the Dutchman Erik ten Hag’s first arrival as United boss and now appear to have made a breakthrough in discussions with the La Liga club.
United have been haggling with Barca over a fee and have apparently now agreed a deal in the region of £68m (€80m). The Catalan outfit have been keen to receive a premium price for the 25-year-old, who joined them from Ajax in 2019.
De Jong has been a top target for the Premier League club ever since they appointed Dutch boss Ten Hag following a six-month search for a new permanent manager. The pair worked together at Ajax, where they reached the Champions League semi-final in 2018-19.
Some reports have suggested that the Old Trafford hierarchy have sidelined pursuits of other transfer targets to ensure De Jong is signed this summer. News of a breakthrough will come as a relief to some United fans who have grown frustrated over the lack of activity during the off-season.
According to Spanish publication Sport, a £68m transfer is ‘very close’ and could happen as early as Thursday (June 30). De Jong still needs to agree to the move, with United prepared to offer a bigger salary package than the star receives at Barca.
It will mark the first signing of the Ten Hag era and United are expected to step up their transfer activity once De Jong’s arrival is confirmed. The new head coach is desperate for further midfield reinforcements following the departures of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic.
United are also keen on signing Christian Eriksen when the Danish midfielder becomes a free agent on July 1. Eriksen is apparently choosing between staying at Brentford, for whom he starred after arriving in January, or switching to Old Trafford.
Former interim boss Ralf Rangnick predicted that United could need as many as 10 new players this summer, giving Ten Hag and the Old Trafford hierarchy a busy couple of months. They are also set to let go of several stars.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson is close to joining newly promoted Nottingham Forest on loan. Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Anthony Martial have all been told they can find new clubs as Ten Hag embarks on a sweeping change of the underachieving squad he has inherited.
Reports from Portugal that Cristiano Ronaldo has informed his close associates that he plans to leave this summer are understood to be wide of the mark, though. Speculation intensified last week that the iconic forward had grown frustrated by the lack of progress over new signings, but he will instead remain at Old Trafford.
