Who are Man Utd's Frenkie de Jong alternatives?
Cameron Smith
- 11 Jul 2022 21:43 BST
- 4 min read
Frenkie de Jong has emerged as Manchester United's number one transfer target this summer, but the Dutchman may not join the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag and De Jong formed an impressive relationship during their time at Ajax and upon joining Man Utd, Ten Hag made it clear he wanted the midfielder to join him at Old Trafford.
De Jong has since been the priority, with Man Utd losing a host of midfielders to free transfers this summer as Ten Hag looks to rebuild the squad.
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However, Barcelona are hoping to keep hold of the midfielder ahead of the upcoming season. As a result, Man Utd may be forced to look elsewhere for Ten Hag's midfield reinforcements.
The Mirror have reported that a move for De Jong isn't close to completion with the Dutchman still owed millions in deferred wages, which has meant Man Utd have begun to look at other options.
Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves are the two alternatives to De Jong that may be looked at, according to The Mirror.
De Jong to Man Utd
Talks have been ongoing with Barcelona for some time, with Man Utd trying to lower the asking price, which is understandably high given the investment the Blaugrana made when they purchased De Jong from Ajax in 2019.
However, Barcelona have made it clear that they wish to keep hold of De Jong if at all possible, and the player himself is yet to make any indications that he wants to leave.
But, financial issues may come into play. Barcelona's huge debt build-up has crippled the club financially, and they've resorted to selling 10 per cent of the club’s La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years in order to receive a €207.5 million cash injection.
Furthermore, it was reported by BarcaUniversal back in May that Barca had began discussions over selling 49% Barça Licensing and Merchandising for €200 million over a 10 year period.
In addition to this, Mundo Deportivo reported the Blaugrana had also sped up the process of selling a maximum of 49% of Barça Studios. Again, the club were hoping to make €200m from this sale to make a combined total of an additional €400m.
Even so, president Joan Laporta has stated that "there’s also a salary issue and that would have to be adjusted" if De Jong were to stay at the club.
Sport have also reported that De Jong he will either have to agree to a reduced salary and stay at Barcelona, or be sold to Man Utd. The issue is complicated further by the fact that the Spanish giants owe the Dutchman a huge sum in deferred wages.
It's believed Barcelona are willing to pay him €3.5m in deferred wages, despite being owed nearly €20m by the club.
Of course, De Jong isn't obliged to accept a huge cut or agree to a move to Man Utd, but it appears as though Barcelona are hoping to turn his hand and make him pick between the two.
If De Jong doesn't join Man Utd, then Neves and Tielemans are reportedly the two players Ten Hag is looking at. In an open pre-season training session in Thailand, it's been reported that Fred and Donny van de Beek were used in a double pivot with Bruno Fernandes slightly more advanced.
Even so, Man Utd still want to sign at least one new central midfielder this summer, according to multiple reports.
