Barcelona signed Frenkie de Jong in the summer of 2019 from Ajax for an initial fee worth €75 million and since then, the Dutch midfielder has cemented his status as one of the stars for the Spanish giants due to his ability on and off the ball. The 25-year-old has made 137 appearances for the Blaugrana while scoring 12 goals and 17 assists across all competitions. But the Catalan club’s ongoing financial woes off the pitch mean that they would have to sanction some sales to generate revenue and kickstart their summer transfer strategy.

It is understood that United are close to agreeing to a fee of €65m plus add-ons for De Jong with negotiations underway for the player's contract although Chelsea waiting in the wings to make a move if Leeds United winger Raphinha snubs a move to the London club in favour of Barcelona.