Manchester United is reportedly ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona this summer.
According to the Mirror, Manchester United is in a pole position to sign the 25-year-old midfielder, despite the fact that Chelsea has only recently made contact with Barcelona officials about bringing him to Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window.
Initially, it was claimed that De Jong would only leave Barcelona for Chelsea and had no desire to join Manchester United (The Metro).
That appears to have changed now, with United in pole position to sign the Holland international…
Manchester United leads Chelsea in the race for Frenkie de Jong
The 25-year-old Barcelona star is available for around £63 million this summer according to a report from The Metro.
And the Mirror reckon that Erik ten Hag is in the box seat to bring the Barca star to Old Trafford this summer. What an incredible signing De Jong could be for United if the owners manage to push this one through.
He bagged three goals and three assists in 32 La Liga games for Barca last season. During those appearances, the Dutchman made 51.2 passes on the average per game and recorded a mightily impressive completion rate of 91.3%.
The Dutchman is highly energetic, very cool, and composed when in possession, and a brilliant passer of the ball. He has the quality needed to dictate the tempo of the game and would add so much to the United squad.
Sport Bible describes him as elite and a masterclass midfielder.
De Jong is a truly world-class central midfielder. He earns a whopping €30 million per year according to Sport. That works out at a mammoth £490k-a-week. Barca has already asked De Jong to take a 50% pay-cut (Sport), so if either Manchester United or Chelsea sign him, they will need to pay him at least £250 a week, probably more.
As things stand though, it seems as though Manchester United is leading Chelsea in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong.
And if Ten Hag manages to get a deal for the Dutchman over the line, United will be in great shape heading into the new season.
