The three players Barcelona expected in De Jong swap deal

Karan Tejwani

• 2 Aug 2022 10:04 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is set to enter a fourth month, as negotiations for the player will go on until the end of the window.

The two clubs have been in negotiations since May, around the time Erik ten Hag was confirmed as the new Red Devils boss, and he made the midfielder his priority target.

Barcelona are eager to sell, Manchester United want the Dutchman, but De Jong himself is mulling over a move due to the deferred wages he is owed by the Catalan club, which he agreed to during the pandemic.

Barcelona also expected earlier in the year that they’d be getting a player in return when Manchester United first showed interest in signing De Jong.

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Barcelona hoped for one of three Man Utd players in swap deal

The Red Devils’ interest goes all the way back to April, when improving their midfield became an essential objective for the summer, as they had struggled in that area for years.

That was also the time interest in bringing over Ten Hag had intensified and he only wanted De Jong, believing the midfielder had unique qualities that would benefit his team.

Back in April, Barcelona thought United would include a few players in the deal, thinking they may add in Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford or Alex Telles in the deal for their midfielder.

However, despite the La Liga side’s interest in those three players in the past, no such offer came, and they’re left only waiting for the money.

Barcelona were interested in Maguire back in 2018, back when he impressed for England at the World Cup and even considered a move for him at one time.

In the case of Rashford, Barcelona have always kept an eye on the English winger, with some suggestions that the player was open to a move when he was struggling for consistency under previous boss Jose Mourinho.

Telles, meanwhile, was impressive when he used to play in Portugal with Porto, but has rarely shown that form while at Manchester United.

The saga surrounding De Jong is set to go into the final weeks of the window, and where he ends up will be one of the more interesting narratives of the summer.