Manchester United have made an offer to Barcelona for the Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
The 25-year-old who worked under Erik ten Hag for two years at Ajax has had a disappointing career thus far at the Nou Camp, and the club's financial problems have left his future in doubt.
Multiple reports have claimed that Barcelona manager Xavi would like to keep the talented midfielder, while the Daily Mail reported that he would only sanction a move if Barca can lure Manchester City's Bernardo Silva to Spain.
With a weakened midfield after the departures of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, it is crucial that United strengthen the core of their team.
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Scott McTominay and Fred are fighters in the middle of the park, but should be improved upon if the club are serious about the rebuild that they are undertaking.
De Jong played some of his best football under Ten Hag in the Netherlands and a reunion could allow him to reach those heights again after a difficult three years.
While previous reports have suggested that De Jong would not want to be playing a second consecutive season in the Europa League, Luis Rojo of Marca has reported that De Jong is becoming increasingly clear that his future is far away from his current club.
The report also states that an offer has been made by United. A fixed amount of €60 million (£51m) and €20m (£17m) more in variables. This offer is close to the demands of Barca, who are seriously studying the proposal.
Erik ten Hag has spoken with the midfield star, as per the report, to convince him to join the club that the Dutch manager is looking to rebuild.
He has told the player that the entire game will revolve around him, being the reference in the middle of the park.
This could be a great move for United, who have lacked this type of profile in their midfield for too long, however, to get the best out of the signing, they'd need to add another defensive midfielder alongside him.
De Jong has made 139 appearances for the Spanish giants since his transfer in 2019, but has not had the desired impact after his years at Ajax.
United's early activity in the market is showing good signs. They also were closely following Darwin Nunez, but could be beaten to the deal by rivals Liverpool after recent reports.
Ten Hag will be hoping that the club can get a deal for his former midfield player over the line before pre-season starts on the 27th of June.
Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Frenkie De Jong, Erik Ten Hag
Cain Smith