How Man Utd's De Jong pursuit involves Man City star

James Shearman

• Updated: 30 Mar 2023 22:01 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United's pursuit of Frenkie de Jong could be impacted by Barcelona's interest in Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan.

Should Barcelona sign Gundogan this summer, they could be more likely to sell De Jong to United.

The 25-year-old has been United manager Erik ten Hag's top transfer target since taking over at Old Trafford.

MORE: Man Utd’s best free transfers of all time

The Red Devils failed to land the Dutchman last summer, signing former Real Madrid star Casemiro instead.

But United are still interested in De Jong, who is viewed as the perfect central midfield partner for the Brazilian.

The financial predicament that Barcelona find themselves in means that selling De Jong for big money and replacing him with Gundogan on the cheap would represent smart business.

Gundogan to Barcelona

Barcelona plan to include a bizarre clause in their offer to Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan.

Spanish outlet Jijantes are reporting that Barca have come up with a 'fairplay clause' which could help to sign Gundogan, and Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez.

The clause would allow the pair to transfer to another club on the same contract terms should Barcelona fail to register them ahead of the 2022-23 season.

An unknown with the 'fairplay clause' is who would pay the players' wages, given Barcelona can hardly afford to pay players that aren't representing the club.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Martinez has accepted the bizarre clause, while Jijantes state that Gundogan remains undecided.

The two players are of particular interest to the La Liga leaders as they are available on free transfers at the end of the season.