Manchester United have received a major boost in their search for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
It is well known that Erik ten Hag was hell-bent on reuniting with his former star player at Old Trafford, but a move in the summer failed to get him over the line.
De Jong repeatedly snubbed United. This coincided with a dispute over his salary, which meant that a transfer became almost impossible.
However, Ten Hag has not wavered in his resolve to acquire De Jong and still sees him as a crucial component in his United rebuild.
According to The Mirror, the Red Devils may have another golden opportunity to finally land their man in January.
This comes in the form of the retirement of former United defender Gerard Pique.
The Mirror reports: “Barça intend to sign Manchester City star Bernardo Silva in January as Pique’s departure will free up vital cash reserves.
“News of a possible deal will be music to Ten Hag’s ears as United’s foes would lose a key player while his club’s chances of signing De Jong increase.”
United fans will be more pleased by the fact that Pep Guardiola’s side are currently not interested in De Jong, so the 20-time English champions could have a spare career in the Dutch international.
According to a report from a few weeks ago, De Jong is upset about his situation at Camp Nou in terms of playing time.
Barca boss Xavi has shown a preference for deploying Gavi and Pedri ahead of Sergio Busquets rather than De Jong.
The 25-year-old played for the Catalan giants last night in a 2-0 win against Almeria.
Beyond scoring Barça’s second, De Jong was also named man of the match.
Frenkie de Jong has been crowned Man of the Match! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/qeBfX9tWNQ
— ???????????? ???????????????? ???? (@TheEuropeanLad) November 5, 2022
Perhaps this time United will have better luck in their pursuit of the club’s main goal.
