Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer but Paris Saint-Germain could have the upper hand, according to Sport (page 9).
The Netherlands international has been a long-term target for the Red Devils. The club verbally agreed to sign him for €85 million in 2022, but the midfielder refused to negotiate personal terms.
De Jong was clearly determined to continue at the Catalan giants. His stance remains the same, but Sport claim that the Blaugrana could force him through the exit door due to his contract situation.
The midfielder is currently contracted to the club until June 2026. He has yet to agree to fresh terms.
Meanwhile, United reportedly want to sign him later this year, but the ‘big offer’ could come from Paris Saint-Germain following the high-profile summer exit of Kylian Mbappe.
Les Parisiens are looking to revolutionise their sporting project and one of their priorities is to remodel their midfield with the arrival of a star. Joshua Kimmich is an alternative.
United unlikely to compete with PSG for De Jong
The Red Devils were determined to sign De Jong in the summer of 2022. Manager Erik ten Hag had identified his compatriot as the ideal fit to control the proceedings in midfield.
A deal did not materialise due to the player and in our opinion, the boat may have already sailed. We believe the club are unlikely to compete with Les Parisiens for the Dutchman.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS recently took over control of the footballing operations after their minority takeover, and part of the focus could be on reducing the huge wage bill.
Raphael Varane, who is the joint-highest earner at €397,000-a-week, is expected to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in June unless he accepts a big pay-cut.
There are also plans to offload Casemiro and Christian Eriksen with Ratcliffe also looking to reduce the average age of the squad. We don’t see United making a huge outlay on De Jong.
Barcelona are looking for at least €100m for the midfielder this summer while De Jong could easily demand €500,000 weekly. He currently earns around €475,000-a-week at his club.
United are unlikely to break their wage structure for De Jong. They could focus on landing Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves, who could be signed for significantly lesser wages.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
