Manchester United are 'close to agreeing' a £68 million deal to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to reports, and it's a move they want to wrap up by June 30.
It looks increasingly likely that Erik ten Hag will get his first signing of the summer window in the coming days, but it has been a far-from-straightforward deal to negotiate.
United submitted an opening bid of £51.3 million plus bonuses for the player's services earlier this month – a bid that was swiftly rejected by Barcelona.
The Premier League side responded with a second bid of £56 million on Thursday but again, that offer was rejected, claim Marca.
But it appears the clubs have settled on a sum of £68 million for the Dutch international.
That's according to talkSPORT, who suggest United officials are aiming to 'complete' the signing of Frenkie de Jong by June 30.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Manchester United are aiming to complete the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong by June 30.
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) June 26, 2022
United are close to agreeing a fee in the region of £68m for the Dutch international.
- talkSPORT sources understand
📲 Listen ☞ https://t.co/VJgUHnqdM1 pic.twitter.com/3g6rSbVq0R
Barcelona were hoping to hold out for a fee of £73 million but they are keen to complete the transfer before Thursday, which is the date when the club close their accounts.
De Jong, who made 60 appearances for club and country last season, has a huge admirer in Erik ten Tag after he played a key part in Ajax's success in 2019.
To put Ten Hag's interest into perspective, the Dutch manager was, at one stage, calling him 'every day' to discuss a possible move to Old Trafford.
And the midfielder was convinced after hearing his former manager's ambitious plans, say The Mirror.
Back in 2019, the former Ajax midfielder opened up on Ten Hag's tactical acumen, and it makes for good reading if you're a Manchester United supporter.
“You can have quality players, but you need good tactics as well. I think it’s one of the most important things today in football and for me, we had amazing tactics,” he told ESPN.
“Every game I had the feeling: ‘ok we’re going to beat them because we’re going to do this, this and this and we have the quality players’. So I think a big part of the success was also the technical staff.”
lt sounds like United are extremely close to securing De Jong's signature. Thoughts on the move?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Frenkie De Jong, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Barcelona
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