Not Frenkie de Jong – Manchester United want to make fresh January attempt to land £70m Barcelona superstar

This past summer, Manchester United’s relentless pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong dominated the headlines. The Red Devils were intent on landing the Netherlands international following Erik ten Hag’s arrival as manager and kept pushing for his capture.

However, de Jong’s reluctance to leave Barça, a place he has described as his dream club, meant that Manchester United failed in their endeavours.

But, according to the latest updates from Manchester Evening News, the Premier League giants have not entirely thrown in the towel when it comes to their interest in de Jong and are willing to make fresh attempts to sign him in the summer of next year.

Ten Hag, who coached the Dutch midfielder at AFC Ajax in the past, had been the chief driving force behind United’s interest in him this past summer. And he continues to see de Jong as a world-class talent who has the talent and the character to slot into his Manchester United side’s midfield.

The Red Devils had reached an agreement with Barça worth €85 million for the transfer of de Jong last summer. But, as iterated earlier, the Netherlands star’s reluctance to leave meant that a move did not materialise.

However, the report indicates that de Jong had given indications to ten Hag that he would be happy to move to United, but his wage deferral issue with the Blaugrana played spoilsport.

De Jong, having remained at Camp Nou, had briefly been pushed down the pecking order by manager Xavi. However, he has reclaimed his spot in the side on the back of some accomplished displays and even starred for the Netherlands during their quarter-final run at the World Cup.

It has served to reassure Manchester United to make a second swoop for de Jong next year. Barcelona see him as an essential part of the setup, but are trying to negotiate a lower salary due to their Financial Fair Play problems.

Should those talks fail to yield the desired result, an exit could again become a possibility, at which point Manchester United could be ready to strike. The Red Devils are not the only club interested though, with Bayern Munich also keeping close tabs on the situation.