Man Utd make ‘offer’ for La Liga star so Barcelona ‘do not sell’ to Man City with Guardiola ready to ‘fight’
Man Utd are looking to get a head start over rivals Man City in the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer, according to reports.
The Red Devils are set for a summer of change following the announcement earlier this year that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had completed a deal to buy 27.7 per cent of the club from the Glazers.
Man Utd make an offer for De Jong?
Ratcliffe and INEOS have taken charge of the football operation as part of the agreement and are looking to overhaul the recruitment department and invest into the club’s infrastructure.
They have already appointed Omar Berrada as the club’s new CEO from Man City, while they also agreed a deal earlier this week to bring in Southampton’s Jason Wilcox as new Man Utd technical director.
As well as off the field, there could be major changes in terms of playing personnel too with rumours as many as ten players could leave at the end of the season.
And Spanish publication Nacional insist that one of INEOS’ biggest transfer targets is Barcelona midfielder De Jong, who they have tried to sign on a number of occasions in recent years.
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It is claimed that Man Utd have made an ‘offer’ of €90m for De Jong to Barcelona sporting director Deco ‘so that he does not sell him to’ arch-rivals Man City.
Man Utd ‘intend to sign’ the Netherlands international this summer with the former Ajax midfielder ‘one of the candidates to pack their bags’ at Barcelona.
The Catalan giants are looking to raise money for their summer recruitment drive and they could need to sell one of their best players in order to raise funds.
Injuries and the form of De Jong have made Barcelona ‘once again study a possible sale’ of the Dutchman with the departure of Xavi in the summer meaning he ‘may end up saying goodbye’.
Man Utd are ‘willing to pay’ the €90m that Barcelona are asking for as they look to ‘break down Barca’s resistance’ and ‘finally get him to end up in the Premier League’.
De Jong is demanding around €30m a year in wages
De Jong would ask for a contract worth around €30m a year and Man Utd will ‘try to convince De Jong through economic means’ as their positioning in the Premier League is not as good as Man City and other potential rivals for his signature.
But Man City boss Pep Guardiola ‘intends to fight’ for De Jong’s signature in the summer and sees him as ‘a very interesting addition to the engine room’ as he continues his search for Ilkay Gundogan’s long-term replacement.
