Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong
Transfer insider Dean Jones has shared the latest on the Manchester United pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.Â
The lowdown: Saga rumbles on
The Red Devils have been extensively linked with a move for De Jong throughout the transfer window and are seemingly no nearer to landing the Dutchman.
Premier League rivals Chelsea are now believed to be on the scene to sign the Holland international and it looks like Erik ten Hag could miss out on one of the his Old Trafford targets.
Now, one well-informed onlooker has shed some further light on the situation surrounding De Jong…
The latest: ‘As long as it takes’
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – claimed that Man Utd are willing to wait ‘as long as it takes’ to sign the 44-cap star, though they do have alternatives in mind just in case.
He said: “I spoke to someone on this the other day directly, and I was just like, how long will they wait for this transfer. And he said again: ‘as long as it takes.’ He said there are other names that have been talked about.”
The verdict: Midfielder needed
Unfortunately, it was a case of deja vu for the Red Devils last weekend as Ten Hag’s new era got underway with defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Much of the issues from last term came to bear once again, with the midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred struggling to reach the levels required.
Meanwhile, De Jong – who was described as a ‘beast’ by Xavi – enjoyed an impressive 2021/22 campaign, scoring four times and providing five assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.
Overall, the Dutchman earned a 7.08 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.6 duels, completing 1.6 successful dribbles and providing 1.3 key passes on average per La Liga outing, proof of a well-rounded game that looks ideally suited to making the grade in the Premier League.
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