Ten Hag’s De Jong and Bellingham transfer stance outlined

Robin Bairner

• 28 Jan 2023 11:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag still wants to strengthen the midfield of his squad and is ready to make a push in the summer to sign Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona and Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund.

Although United have not spent heavily in January, securing loan deals for Crystal Palace's Jack Butland and Burnley’s Wout Weghorst, plans are afoot to bolster the ranks of the Old Trafford club in the summer.

With the ownership question still up in the air as the Glazer brothers eye a sale of the club, exactly how much Ten Hag might have to spend is uncertain, but what is known is that the former Ajax boss wants to bolster his side with high-calibre players.

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De Jong and Bellingham to Man Utd?

It will come as little surprise that the Manchester Evening News reports that Ten Hag is open to a continued pursuit of De Jong.

The Barcelona midfielder played under him at Ajax and was chased relentlessly throughout the 2022 summer transfer window.

De Jong remains a viable target, too. With the Camp Nou side still under significant financial stress and the Netherlands international one of their biggest earners, it may well be that they have to sacrifice him for the good of the club. De Jong, meanwhile, continues to show little interest in signing a new deal that would bring him in line with Barca’s wage structure.

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Bellingham, meanwhile, promises to be a more complicated summer target. All of Europe’s leading clubs are chasing the Dortmund star, which means that a massive bidding war is brewing in the summer. It is expected that the 19-year-old will depart for a fee well in excess of €100m.

Ten Hag has “not ruled” out Man Utd chasing the England international star, but any pursuit is likely to hinge on who owns the club by that point. The Glazers’ reticence to spend in January suggests that they are unlikely to spend big on a summer asset that they will not even see the benefit of.