Why Man Utd can bully Barcelona over De Jong transfer fee

James Shearman

Updated: 12 Jun 2022 09:26 BST
3 min read

Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Manchester United have the upper hand in negotiations with Barcelona for midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

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Due to their financial constraints, Barca have little choice but to let one of their more valuable assets leave.

And, given De Jong's relationship with United boss Erik ten Hag, Old Trafford is the only destination he is willing to swap Camp Nou for.

Man Utd have had an opening bid for De Jong of €60million plus a potential €10m in add-ons rejected by Barcelona, but it seems inevtiable that a deal will be made.

The Catalan club value De Jong at some €85m, according to The Guardian, but the Red Devils are unwilling to go that high.

Ten Hag's side need to fill the void left in midfield following the departures of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, and to a lesser extent, Juan Mata.

Man Utd and marquee signings haven’t often gone well in recent years.

But with De Jong, it’s a move that makes an awful lot of sense - something which can't be said for many of their recent acquisitions.

Is De Jong who Man Utd need?

A product of Jong Ajax, the 25-year-old draws clear parallels to new boss Erik ten Hag and his tactical blueprint for the club.

Man Utd’s yearning for a holding midfielder is one of football’s worst-kept secrets.

But De Jong is not the dogged individual they need to force turnovers in the middle of the pitch or to be outmuscling opposition and winning those aerial battles.

He needs someone alongside him, to then act as a pivot, holding the line while he can carry the ball up the pitch.

🗞 Erik ten Hag wants to know if a deal for Frenkie de Jong can be done by the end of next week – otherwise he'll switch targets. [@sbates_people]
— Utd District (@UtdDistrict) June 12, 2022

The Dutchman star made 7.08 progressive carries per-90 last season, according to FBRef. He also made 1.49 key passes, and 5.67 passes into the final third.

As a possession-based playmaker, De Jong hits all the right notes. But, indeed, this is not a player who will be in for a scrap. He made a measly 1.09 interceptions per-90 and won 0.96 tackles by a similar metric.

Essentially, in De Jong, Man Utd will be paying for one-half of a complete midfield.

The Netherlands star, though exquisitely talented, will not be enough to fill in their midfield going forward as a complete package.