Man Utd eyeing another EMBARRASSING transfer chase for Ten Hag favourite

Suraj Radia

23 Apr 2025 03:00 CDT
4 min read

Erik ten Hag, Old Trafford — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Manchester United are reportedly looking to ‘attempt the impossible’ by finally securing a transfer for a long-term target from Erik ten Hag’s time at the club.

Article continues under the video

United are looking to make wholesale changes to their squad this summer, with talks already underway to sign Matheus Cunha, while Ipswich’s Liam Delap is likely to be the club’s choice to strengthen in attack.

Ruben Amorim is also looking to add a creative midfielder to his ranks and United’s search has seemingly led them to a familiar face in Frenkie de Jong, who Spanish outlet Fichajes claim is the club’s ‘ideal player’ to elevate their options in the middle.

Current ETV

Frenkie de Jong

M, DM (C)

Barcelona

Frenkie de Jong

M, DM (C)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€34.8M - €42.6M

United had heavily pursued De Jong under former manager Ten Hag but the Barcelona star had been reluctant to join the Red Devils in 2022 during a campaign in which they were not playing Champions League football.

But the 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with Barca and, while his preference is still to remain with the Catalans, United are said to be willing to ‘test the limits’ with a tempting offer.

Unlike in 2022 when Barca were desperate to cash in on De Jong, the La Liga giants are now believed to see the Dutchman as a ‘pillar’ whom they insist is ‘not for sale’ but the club’s ongoing financial difficulties may give them a difficult decision if United do formalise their interest with a substantial offer.

United regressing to costly flop transfers with De Jong pursuit

Returning to a former Ten Hag target would be a surprising turn of events for United given the disappointing results from his previous transfer business, which has left the club with a number of costly flops.

Ten Hag spent nearly €250 million in his first season on the likes of Antony, Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia, all of whom would be welcome departures from Old Trafford this summer at significant losses.

© IMAGO - Frenkie de Jong has been a long-term target for Man Utd.

United’s desire for De Jong also led them to an embarrassing and drawn-out chase for a player who had no desire to join the club despite talk of a huge contract with a massive salary and fee.

With success in the Europa League this season the only pathway to European football for United, De Jong is unlikely to be convinced to leave Barca and become Amorim’s saviour in midfield.

Having stressed a desire for cheaper, younger and hungrier players, any pursuit of De Jong would only be a regression that proves United have not learned from their previous errors and may end up adding to the problems at the club instead of being the solution.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store