How much will Man Utd have to pay for Frenkie de Jong?
FT Desk
- Updated: 5 Jun 2022 19:56 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have slapped an €85 million asking price on Frenkie de Jong this summer, according to the Daily Express.
Man Utd have made the signing of a top midfielder a priority this summer and hope to reunite De Jong with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who has taken over at Old Trafford.
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Reports in Spain in recent weeks have claimed that Barcelona are happy to sell the Dutchman for two reasons.
The main reason is a financial one. Barcelona are €1.3 billion in debt and according to Cadena Ser, they must generate €500 million before June 30 in order to balance their books.
Unless they bring in fresh income and lower their salary bill – Barca currently have a negative salary margin of -€140m - they are unable to register any new signings.
De Jong represents one of the Barcelona players who can bring in a serious amount of cash to help repay these debts.
The second reason is because De Jong has failed to fulfil his potential at Camp Nou since arriving in 2019 from Ajax.
He was expected to become one of the best players in the world in his position but is not even considered a guaranteed starter anymore given the presence of Pedri, Gavi, Sergio Busquets and incoming free transfer signing Franck Kessie.
According to the Daily Express, Barcelona’s asking price for De Jong is €85 million.
Man Utd are said to value the Dutchman at €70m, so it remains to be seen whether negotiations can bridge the gap.
De Jong reportedly would rather be playing Champions League football next season but the presence of Ten Hag and the feeling of being unwanted at Barcelona could help make the transfer happen.
