- 15 hours ago
Man Utd 'desperate' for Barcelona star
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 17 Oct 2024 10:23 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is 'very desperate' to purchase Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
The links between the player and the club have been ongoing ever since the former Ajax boss took the Old Trafford job.
A huge saga unfolded in 2022 but De Jong opted to stay at the Camp Nou. But now Sport, a Spanish outlet, has claimed that Ten Hag has the midfielder in his sights once again.
The publication states that: "Ten Hag knows him well from their time together at Ajax Amsterdam and believes that he is the piece that could give a new boost to a team that is constantly rebuilding."
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Ten Hag signed De Jong from Ajax in 2019 for €75 million. At Barcelona in recent months, he has been plagued with injury, while he has just over 18 months to run on his contract.
De Jong is still owed millions by Barcelona after he voluntarily reduced his salary to help the club during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, he talked about his "tough" period being on the sidelines. He also refuted reports that he knocked back the chance of surgery.
The 27-year-old has not played since April, his third ankle injury of that season. He missed Euro 2024 with the Netherlands and the start of this campaign.
Current ETV
Frenkie de Jong
M (C)
Barcelona
Frenkie de Jong
M (C)
Barcelona
ETV Range
€33.5M - €55.8M
"It's been a tough process because playing football is what I love most, it's been my life," De Jong to Barcelona's official site. It's my passion. When you can't play big games, when you miss the Euros and many games with Barça, it's really hard, really difficult.
"Every day you get up, looking at the ankle, seeing how it is. Having three injuries to the same ankle caused me a bit of mental trauma, but I am gradually regaining my confidence to kick the ball hard and go strong into tackles. Hopefully, it's not long now until I am back."
De Jong denies surgery claims
"I understand the frustrations because throughout my recovery I have chosen to stay silent. But then things come out that are not true, like I don't want surgery, that I earn loads of money, as much as €37m. That's a very big figure and is a long way off what I really earn.
"And then people are talking a lot about whether I have to have surgery. It is not true that the club told me I had to have an operation and I didn't want one.
"Everyone at the club, the doctors and myself all agreed that surgery was not the best option. It has been very frustrating for a player who lives and breathes football to be out of action for a lengthy period."
