Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has already pledged his future to the Spanish giants amid Manchester United's plan to make a fresh move for the Netherlands international.
De Jong, who started each of the Netherlands' five World Cup fixtures in Qatar, was right at the very top of Reds manager Erik ten Hag's transfer wish list during the summer, as he set about trying to strengthen the club's midfield options. United chased his signature for more than 100 days before being forced to admit defeat.
The Reds, at the end of June, agreed a £56.14million deal to sign De Jong, only for the deal to break down over a dispute concerning unpaid wages at the Barcelona end. United, though, have continued to be linked with the 25-year-old over the last few months.
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The Manchester Evening News understands that they are considering the prospect of a second move for the Dutchman. Ten Hag, who worked with De Jong at Ajax, considers him as a world-class talent that would slot straight into United's midfield and offer even more balance.
But although it is understood that De Jong, in private, gave assurances to Ten Hag that he would be happy to join United and be reunited with his former mentor, he, when speaking in public, regularly pledged his commitment to Barcelona.
Speaking as recently as last month, ahead of the start of the World Cup, De Jong said: "I am very happy in Barcelona. When I play it's great and in terms of living here life is perfect.
"I see myself at Barcelona for as long as possible. I personally hope for another eight or ten years."
Two months earlier, De Jong claimed that he never had any intentions of leaving the Camp Nou outfit to join United.
"I always wanted to stay at Barcelona this summer, and this is why I always remained calm in the summer," De Jong said. "I can't give too many details away.
"But look, the club has its own ideas and I have my own ideas, too, and sometimes these clash with each other. But at the end of the day things went okay."
Following their failure to sign De Jong, United turned to Real Madrid star Casemiro to strengthen their midfield options, signing him in August for an initial fee of £60million. He has enjoyed an excellent start to life at Old Trafford but is a very different type of midfielder to De Jong, who likes to get forward with the ball and be progressive, whereas the Brazilian tends to sit deep and mop up any pressure.
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