Frenkie de Jong to Man Utd is BACK ON

Cameron Smith

• 14 Oct 2024 09:00 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have been handed a major boost in their bid to finally sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

The Red Devils have been heavily linked with De Jong for multiple years, but a deal has never materialised, with the Netherlands international content at Camp Nou.

However, a move may be possible next year as Barca are now prepared to sell the 27-year-old amid his refusal to sign a new contract.

READ MORE: Man Utd set new Ten Hag sack date

De Jong’s current deal with the Spanish giants is due to expire in 2026 and FootballTransfers understands that Barcelona are eager to offload him in order to drastically reduce their bloated wage bill.

This has now been backed up by SPORT, who claim that De Jong is yet to respond to Barcelona’s latest contract offer.

As a result, the Blaugrana are prepared to sell the Dutchman in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 2026.

READ MORE: Antony close to Man Utd exit

Man Utd signed Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte in a bid to bolster their midfield options this summer, but the Uruguay international has been an unused substitute in each of the club’s past two fixtures amid a shaky start to life at Old Trafford.

Furthermore, Casemiro continues to be linked with an exit and although Erik ten Hag could be sacked within the next few weeks, Man Utd remain interested in bringing De Jong to the club following years of admiration.

Erik ten Hag on Frenkie de Jong

In May, Ten Hag confirmed that he wanted to sign De Jong to play alongside Casemiro during his first transfer window as Man Utd boss.

“It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [in midfield],” he told Sky Sports pundit and Red Devils legend Gary Neville.

“They would really be connected with each other. They would be really complementary to each other. That's a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player.”