Ten Hag target ‘accepts’ Liverpool ‘offer’ as Barcelona ‘take’ £42m Reds star in other direction
Frenkie de Jong has ‘accepted’ an offer to join Liverpool in the summer if the Reds can agree a deal with Barcelona, according to reports.
The Reds took a cautious approach to the January transfer market with Arne Slot’s side ready to make a move if a good opportunity arose but in the end nothing materialised.
Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the latter returning to Valencia on loan, remain the only signings Liverpool have made since Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of last season.
And Liverpool are doing well regardless, with Slot leading his side to top spot in the Premier League table and six points clear of second-placed Arsenal, with the Reds also boasting a game in hand.
His first season in charge could not have gone much better for Slot but he has had to deal with some off-field issues, with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk all out of contract at the end of the season.
But Liverpool are already looking ahead to the summer transfer window with reports in Spain claiming Slot is looking to improve his midfield with the signing of Barcelona star De Jong.
The Netherlands international was at the centre of Erik ten Hag’s transfer targets at Man Utd with rumours persisting that the Red Devils are still interested after his departure.
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De Jong has plagued by injuries during his time at Barcelona and he’s only started eight times in all competitions under Hansi Flick so far this season.
It is understood that De Jong now ‘accepts the offer’ from Liverpool with the Premier League leaders ‘willing to offer 35 million euros to sign the midfielder’.
Liverpool ‘could match or even improve his current salary, something that Barça cannot guarantee him at the moment’ and Slot ‘believes that his vision, dribbling ability and ball control fit perfectly into the system he wants to implement at Anfield’.
That report adds: ‘While Liverpool advance in negotiations with the Dutchman, Barca are already preparing the ground for the arrival of [Joshua] Kimmich, a reinforcement that could raise the level of the team and provide the necessary experience to fight for all the titles.’
The same publication claims that Luis Diaz is the ‘chosen one’ at Barcelona and sporting director Deco ‘takes’ the Colombian winger away from Liverpool.
Liverpool ‘do not need to sell , but if an offer of around 50 million euros (£42m) arrives, the English club could negotiate his exit’ and Barcelona ‘believe that Diaz could adapt quickly to the team and that his signing would be less risky than that of [Nico] Williams, who still needs to make the jump to a highly demanding club.’
