The Manchester United faithful would be forgiven for rolling the eyes and uttering a deflated ‘not this again’.
Because two years since that long-running, summer-dominating pursuit of Frenkie de Jong ended with egg on the Red Devils’ face – Barcelona accepted a £72 million deal but, crucially, the midfielder did not, per The Athletic – Manchester United, appear ready to get hurt again.
Good luck keeping tabs on the sheer number of midfielders linked with Erik ten Hag’s FA Cup winners since United backed away from that Manuel Ugarte deal.
Sander Berge, Martin Zubimendi and Monaco contract-rebel Youssouf Fofana are perhaps the three that come to mind first.
But there is also the Brazilian duo of Joao Gomes and Andre Trindade. Plus, more left-field options such as Richard Rios, Manu Kone and Danilo of Nottingham Forest.
And there was a sense of oh-so predictable inevitability about the re-emergence of those Frenkie de Jong links. Rearing their ugly head again, two years after a saga to end all sagas.
During the latter days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, barely a window went by without Wesley Sneijder and Nicolas Gaitan returning to the gossip columns. De Jong is threatening to become the modern day equivalent.
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Manchester United linked with Frenkie de Jong again
According to the Manchester World, United made a ‘tentative’ approach to Barcelona over the last few days as the Ugarte discussions stalled.
Ten Hag worked alongside De Jong at Ajax, like with Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez, Antony, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
He reportedly feels that this fellow Dutchman would still be the ‘perfect fit’ for United’s ill-balanced midfield.
There is no guarantee of an offer landing on Barcelona’s coffee table, however. The Manchester World suggest that Man United will only step up their alleged interest if they are given assurances that a deal could be done for a cut-price fee of £30 to £40 million.
The La Liga giants’ demands remain something of a mystery at this stage.
But while Barca’s financial issues are well documented – very few players are realistically safe from the axe at the Camp Nou – the biggest obstacle may again be De Jong’s own stance.
“I always wanted to be at Barca,” the now-27-year-old De Jong told El Periodico back in 2023. “It is the club of my dreams and I want to be here all my life.
“I didn’t want to leave suddenly.”
Barcelona may look to sell Erik ten Hag favourite
While still one of the most talented midfielders of his generation, the increasingly injury-hit De Jong is not exactly the type of signing Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has talked up since seizing control at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe wants to put an end to United’s penchant for signing declining big names and instead target the next generation of superstars.
Hence the arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee (23), Leny Yoro (18) and former Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin (16).
De Jong has missed nearly 30 games for club and country since the start of last season now. Concerns are growing about the reoccurrence of those ankle issues, a problem which kept De Jong out of this summer’s European Championships.
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