Man Utd boosted as Barcelona put £58m-rated star ‘up for sale’ – rivals ‘test the situation’
According to reports, Barcelona have put their Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong ‘up for sale’ for a fee of £58m amid interest from Man Utd.
The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks.
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Barcelona signed him from Ajax for an initial fee of £62m in 2019. He has played 136 times for the Spanish giants across all competitions.
Xavi became Barcelona’s manager back in November. Their fortunes have improved since he took over.
Speaking last month, Xavi suggested that he wants De Jong to stay with Barcelona for “many more years”.
Despite this, AS are reporting that Barcelona have decided to put the midfielder ‘up for sale’. Their ‘objective’ is to sell him for £58m.
He is ‘mainly wanted’ by Man Utd and Bayern Munich. It is stated that other Premier League clubs have ‘tested his situation’.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo could return to Real Madrid this summer with consistent game time unlikely to come under incoming Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag.
The Portugal captain is the Red Devils’ top scorer this season with 23 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions.
He has scored five in his last three games – including a hat-trick against Norwich City on April 16.
Despite his stellar goalscoring season, Ronaldo’s future is up in the air with Ten Hag replacing Ralf Rangnick in the dugout at the end of 2021/22.
As per the Mirror, the Dutch manager is keen on building around ‘energy and youth’. A big summer squad overhaul on the cards.
They say that Ronaldo is ‘not guaranteed’ to play every game under Ten Hag, which will not sit well with the club legend who has scored 17 times in the Premier League since his return to Man Utd last summer.
A return to Real Madrid could come to fruition this summer with the Spanish champions ‘more than open’ to re-signing the 37-year-old.
Ronaldo wouldn’t cost any more than a £10m up-front fee. He scored 450 goals in 438 games for Los Blancos.
The La Liga giants are keen on signing Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe. He is out of contract at the end of the season.
