As Erik Ten Hag’s most memorable summer marking, Manchester United is close to finalizing an agreement to bring FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford.
A trade-off reached has given the negotiations between the two teams a cutting edge.
Barcelona, despite only being valued at £54 million, initially demanded a fee of about £86 million but could potentially accept a deal worth £69 million.
The Red Devils would make an intriguing market entry this summer and begin the makeover under new boss Ten Hag.
When de Jong lived in Amsterdam, the former Ajax coach collaborated with him, thus it’s not surprising
The midfield may be United’s biggest concern for the upcoming season. This summer, a few players in this position left after their contracts expired, and the club decided not to renew many of them.
United will in fact have to rely on the duo of Scott Mctominay and Fred, unless they make additions. While none of these players are particularly bad, the team ought to go all out for them if they’re going to revive the glory years.
De Jong would take care of that redesign and could perform a job similar to Fred’s while providing higher quality.
He ranks in the top 8% for passes under pressure when compared to his positional teammates in Europe’s top five associations over the past year, demonstrating the self-control necessary to succeed at the highest level.
His current manager and Barcelona great Xavi has referred to him as a “virtuoso.”
The Dutchman demonstrates his offensive skills by being in the top 5 percent for passes into the final third, proving he is the complete midfielder the team needs.
If United can hit his target, it would prove that despite not qualifying for the Champions League, they and their new manager have a unique attraction that other teams would struggle to replicate on the odd occasion that they were in a same situation.
