Frenkie de Jong Man Utd switch moves closer as Ten Hag persistence pays off; issues still to solve

Reports claim Erik ten Hag has worked his magic and persuaded midfield transfer target Frenkie de Jong to join Manchester United.

The Red Devils have long been linked with a swoop for 25-year-old De Jong. And the arrival of Ten Hag as manager seemed to further focus the attention on the Barcelona schemer’s future. He has been at the Nou Camp since the summer of 2019 after catching the eye of the Catalans while at Ajax.

But despite seeing plenty of action with the LaLiga giants, the jury is still out on his progression. The Netherlands international has made 140 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals.

However, he has not always had the expected impact despite possessing an abundance of talent. Ten Hag is clearly a big fan and knows the player well from their time together at Ajax.

He has made no secret of his desire to bring the schemer to Old Trafford, with Manchester United said to have had a bid rejected already.

They are thought to have offered £60m but been told they will need to fork out considerably more to get their man. And it is not just the financial aspect of any deal that has been a stumbling block.

De Jong is keen to continue playing Champions League football. However, United’s sixth-place Premier League finish means they will have to make do with the Europa League in 2022-2023.

It seemed as though United would miss out on the man with 43 Dutch caps. But The Mirror are reporting that Ten Hag has managed to convince his former charge that Old Trafford is the place to be.

Work to be done on De Jong capture

It will be a summer of change at the Theatre of Dreams after a disastrous campaign by United’s previous standards. They struggled for consistency and even the return of Cristiano Ronaldo failed to spark them into life.

Paul Pogba has departed as a free agent and the fans crave exciting new talent to revitalise their fortunes. The new manager is said to have informed De Jong that he wants to build the team around the midfielder.

And that was the angle that reportedly persuaded his compatriot that Manchester is the place to be. There is still the price tag to sort out, however.

Barca are holding out for a fee in the region of £70m, according to Sport, despite initial reports they wanted nearer to £90m. United appear to be closing in on the former Willem II youth star.

The Spanish outfit need to raise funds to manage their debt and most things point towards a deal being done.

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