Manchester United have been handed a fresh update on one of their main long-term transfer targets that Erik ten Hag is in love with, according to a new report.
Manchester United target midfield additions
Currently 12th in the Premier League after a disappointing start to the season, Erik ten Hag is under pressure at Old Trafford, and there appear to be concerns amid the Manchester United hierarchy about the future of the club.
The Red Devils threw away another lead in Turkey to be held to a 1-1 draw by Fenerbahçe, their third consecutive draw in the Europa League, and they are yet to truly put together an impressive performance this season aside from a 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.
Many of those problems appear to stem from midfield, where Casemiro is well past his best and Christian Eriksen is also some way beyond his peak, though he has returned to the fold in recent weeks.
This has left much of the pressure on young star Kobbie Mainoo, who is now sidelined through injury, as well as plenty of expectation on the shoulders of Manuel Ugarte, who was signed from Paris Saint Germain in the final days of the summer transfer window in a deal worth £42m.
Manchester United’s midfield options this season
Starts (all competitions)
Goals and Assists
Casemiro
7
0
Manuel Ugarte
2
0
Kobbie Mainoo
8
0
Christian Eriksen
8
7
The departure (and subsequent form) of Scott McTominay has only made the midfield issue more glaring at Old Trafford, and there are problems for Ten Hag (or any future manager) to solve both internally and in the transfer market going forwards. Now, they may have been handed a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Discount available on midfielder Ten Hag loves
That comes as reports from Spain claim that Barcelona are now ready to cash in on Frenkie de Jong at a new discounted price amid longstanding interest from the Red Devils.
The Dutchman, who returned to action recently after a long layoff with an ankle injury, has been overshadowed in the Barcelona engine room since his move from Ajax by the emergences of Pedri, Gavi and Marc Casado, leaving him facing an uncertain future as he heads into the final 18 months of his contract at Camp Nou.
He is held in incredibly high regard by Ten Hag, who coached him at Ajax and was full of praise for him when his Manchester United side faced Barcelona two years ago: “Frenkie is an incredible player and for every club in the whole world he will strengthen the squad because he has a unique quality.”
The Red Devils boss pushed hard to sign the midfielder in the 2022 summer transfer window, and had even reportedly agreed a 85m euro (£70.1m) fee with Barcelona only for a move to break down.
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Speaking after the fact, Ten Hag mourned the fact that a deal didn’t go through, pinpointing De Jong as key to his style of play.
“Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro, they would be really connected with each other. They would have been really complimentary with each other, absolutely. If you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player.”
Now, a fresh report has claimed that Barcelona have opened the door to his departure once more, and have lowered their asking price for De Jong to 70m euros (£58m) after he fell down the pecking order at Camp Nou.
The news comes as Manchester United “continue to show strong interest” in the 27-year-old Dutchman, with the midfielder viewed as a key type of midfielder to help Ten Hag’s side progress the ball from defence to attack, as he did at Ajax. Could he be the man to finally knit Ten Hag’s problematic side together?