Liverpool could steal Barca's Frenkie de Jong from under Man Utd's noses
FT Desk
- Updated: 17 Oct 2022 12:58 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United retain an interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but Liverpool have emerged as rivals for his signature next summer.
De Jong was United's top transfer target this summer, with Erik ten Hag keen to be reunited with a player he won the Dutch domestic double with at Ajax in 2019, but the midfielder had other ideas.
"I was calm," De Jong told Dutch TV station Ziggo Sport recently. "I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion never changed at all during this period - I remained calm."
Why would Frenkie de Jong want to join Man Utd?
Why would any player?@jacobsben of @cbssportsgolazo on a club who are "rotten at the foundational core" 😳 pic.twitter.com/c1ltUXMakV— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 15, 2022
De Jong stuck to his guns and stayed at Camp Nou, but the landscape has since changed for the Dutchman, with club captain Sergio Busquets invariably accompanied by youngsters Pedri and Gavi in Xavi's preferred three-man midfield.
Half of De Jong's eight La Liga appearances this season have come from the bench, and the 25-year-old might be more willing to alleviate Barca's financial problems - his currently ranked at €58 million by Football Transfers - now than before.
Liverpool interest
"Despite no move materialising in the latest transfer window, Frenkie de Jong's future seems destined to be away from Camp Nou," write Catalan daily, Sport. "After the ongoing interest of Manchester United, Liverpool now seem ready to enter the race for the Dutchman."
Liverpool's interest in a top-level midfielder makes sense. Each of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been injured this season, and their primary target - Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham - now also has interest from Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Related articles
While Man Utd ultimately paid Real Madrid €80m for Casemiro in the summer, the path to first-team minutes in Liverpool's midfield looks ever clearer.
Frenkie might be a starter at Anfield in any case, but Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all out of contract next summer, while Arthur Melo's loan deal from Juventus will have expired by then.
