Frenkie de Jong was Erik ten Hag’s number one transfer target when the Dutch manager was appointed by Manchester United last year.
Having blossomed in a partnership at Ajax, Ten Hag wanted De Jong to become the beating heart of his midfield at Old Trafford. United’s pursuit of De Jong from Barcelona was undoubtedly one of the longest-running transfer sagas of 2022 and it seemed inevitable that a reunion was on the cards.
Ten Hag played a huge role in the midfielder’s breakthrough and success at Ajax, where he was instrumental in helping the Eredivisie side reach their first Champions League semi-final in 22 years.
But the proposed transfer collapsed, with De Jong seemingly unconvinced about the merits of a move to United, who had just blundered their way through the club’s worst-ever campaign in the Premier League era.
But that episode clearly did nothing to change Ten Hag’s opinion of De Jong, who he claimed would improve any side in world football as recently as February. “In 2019, there was a lot of fascination with that Ajax team. Frenkie brought a lot of that fascination and he has developed over the following years in Spain,” Ten Hag told reporters ahead of United’s Europa League play-off against Barcelona.
“He's a fantastic player and has become even better. Playing out from the back, he always has time. It was a pleasure working with him. He would strengthen any squad in the world. He's got unique quality.”
United are believed to retain an interest in De Jong going into the summer transfer window, with ESPN recently reporting that the club could make another attempt to sign the Netherlands international.
The Red Devils strengthened their midfield by landing Casemiro but could look to sign a new partner for the former Real Madrid player with De Jong likely to be near the top of a potential list of targets.
However, the 25-year-old has already signalled his intention to remain at Barcelona next season and beyond. The Dutchman was quizzed on his future by TV3 last month and responded: “Hopefully I can play in the new Camp Nou. Barcelona has always been the club of my dreams and I want to stay here for many years.”
De Jong is under contract at Camp Nou until 2026 and added: “For me, the Camp Nou is the most beautiful stadium in the world. The plans for the stadium are very good.”
Barcelona’s well-documented financial issues means player sales are unavoidable for the La Liga club this summer but it seems that other squad members are likely to be sacrificed ahead of De Jong. According to the Daily Mail, Barca are ready to cash in on Raphinha just a year after signing the winger from Leeds United for £50million, with Arsenal and Newcastle interested.
United are also believed to be keen on West Ham United’s Declan Rice, as well as his England teammate Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. It comes amid plans to allow the likes of Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay to leave the club.
