- 23 hours ago
Ten Hag makes BIG Frenkie de Jong transfer announcement
Robin Bairner
- 3 May 2024 17:05 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has broken his long-standing silence on his former Ajax protegee Frenkie de Jong, a player who has long been linked with the Old Trafford side.
The peak of the De Jong transfer saga came shortly after Ten Hag arrived at the Red Devils in the summer of 2022.
He appeared transfixed on landing the Barcelona midfielder, who was in dispute with the Catalan club at that point.
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Current ETV
Frenkie de Jong
M, DM (C)
Barcelona
Frenkie de Jong
M, DM (C)
Barcelona
ETV Range
€36.4M - €60.6M
No deal was done, with De Jong digging his heels in and refusing to move from Camp Nou.
Man Utd, meanwhile, later captured Casemiro from Real Madrid in a deal that appeared to be compensation for missing out on their leading target.
Transfer rumours linking De Jong to United have rumbled on, though not with the same intensity as they once had, and now Ten Hag has confessed that it was his dream to pair De Jong and Casemiro in the heart of his midfield.
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“Yes, it would have been de Jong and Casemiro playing and complementing each other,” Ten Hag told the press in comments relayed by Fabrizio Romano on X.
“But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted. You have to accept that.”
De Jong still linked with Barcelona exit
De Jong’s future at Barcelona remains insecure, and though there are no suggestions yet that Man Utd will revisit the case in the summer, it would be little surprise to see links rise again, particularly if Ten Hag remains at the club.
The Netherlands international, though, continues to be forceful about his desire to remain with Barca, where he is under contract until 2026.
Although a key player, the club see him as a sellable asset given their financial problems and the big wage that he commands.
As such, the end of the De Jong to Man Utd transfer rumours are not yet in sight.
