June 28, (THEWILL) – Manchester United have made progress in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, because an initial sum has been agreed upon with Barcelona for the player, according to reports monitored by THEWILL.
As one of Erik ten Hag’s main summer targets, the midfielder will cost United €65 million up front to bring to Old Trafford, but the deal is not yet finalised and there are still “significant” obstacles to overcome. Performance-based add-ons that could raise the price tag above €80 million and the player’s personal terms, are still to be agreed upon.
However, there is now growing optimism at both Old Trafford and Camp Nou that a deal may be closed to make De Jong the first acquisition under Ten Hag’s leadership at United. Ten Hag is hopeful that De Jong will bolster United’s midfield with the departures of Paul Pogba to Juventus and Nemanja Matic to Roma.
Ten Hag worked with De Jong at Ajax and has been keen to bring the 25-year-old to United. Barcelona are also keen to let the player leave in an effort to overcome their financial problems and fund other transfer business this summer.
United’s focus will shift to acquiring a flexible attacker, who can play in a variety of places across the front line if they can complete the De Jong business. Brazilian winger, Antony is on the list of potential targets, but Ajax’s €80 million asking price has so far turned United away. The 22-year-old’s value, in United’s opinion, is closer to €40 million, but Ajax has made it clear that they are not under any obligation to sell the forward lower.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
