Man Utd make €80m opening bid for De Jong as Barcelona target Man City star as replacement
Manchester United have reportedly made an opening bid of €80m to lure Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.
New United boss Erik ten Hag has made De Jong, with whom he worked successfully with at Ajax, one of his priority signings this summer as he starts a rebuild at Old Trafford.
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And Marca claim Ten Hag is a ‘luxury ally’ in negotiations as they warm to the idea of the Dutch midfielder leaving the club.
As per the report, Barcelona ‘urgently needs to reduce its wage bill to bring in new players’ and the fee for De Jong would ‘allow some freedom to go to the next market’.
It’s claimed United have made an opening offer amounting to €80m, with a €60m down payment and a further €20m in potential bonuses.
Barcelona are said to be ‘seriously studying the proposal’.
Ten Hag has told De Jong he will be ‘his star at United’ and that ‘the entire game will revolve around him, being the reference in midfield’ – he will be the ‘conductor of the new project’.
De Jong spoke about his future at the end of the 2021-22 season: “I prefer to stay with Barcelona.
“Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age. I just said it too. I’ve never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I’ve achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice.”
But with the Catalans keen on balancing the books ahead of the new season, he may be left with little option but to move to United.
And it would grant Barcelona funds to make moves in the transfer market, with The Sun citing a ‘Spanish press’ claim that they could target Berardo Silva as a replacement.
The same report also states that the La Liga side would allow De Jong to leave without a replacement if it ensures they are able to land Robert Lewandowksi, who is desperate to leave Bayern Munich for the Nou Camp this summer.
