Reports | Manchester United keen on signing Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona
According to ESPN, Manchester United have held talks with Barcelona over a potential transfer for Frenkie De Jong in the upcoming January transfer window. It is understood that the Blaugrana offered Philippe Coutinho to the English club and rebuffed their enquiry to purchase the Dutch midfielder.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta had travelled to England to engage in talks with Manchester City over the purchase of Spanish forward Ferran Torres in January. According to ESPN, the Blaugrana president also met with the United bosses, as he hoped to offload Coutinho to the English giants with Xavi Hernandez unimpressed with the Brazilian. It is understood that the Red Devils rejected the Catalan club's potential offer for Coutinho, as they are not interested in signing the ex-Liverpool attacker. Edinson Cavani was also a topic of discussion among the club officials, as Barcelona looks to reinforce their attack after Sergio Aguero's unavailability due to injury.
United initiated conversations for a potential transfer for Frenkie De Jong, as they feel like the Dutch international would suit the playing style of new interim manager Ralf Rangnick. United made an informal opening offer of €55 million for the former Ajax star, but the Blaugrana would not consider accepting this offer as they deem it too low. The Barcelona midfielder has established himself as one of their key players and has already made 110 appearances while scoring ten goals and registering 14 assists across all competitions.Â
torreIt is understood that Barcelona's reluctance to accept the bid stems from the fact that De Jong joined the Catalan club for €86 million and currently has a contract that runs until 2026. The La Liga side will not enter negotiations until the Manchester club makes an offer that exceeds €70 million. Barcelona have no intention to sell De Jong as Xavi views him as a key part of his plans for the future but the club's financial woes could mean that Laporta would entertain all the offers that they receive.