If Frenkie de Jong departs Barcelona this summer, reports indicate that he would most likely sign with local rivals Manchester City instead of going to play for Manchester United
Catalunya Radio, a media organisation based in Catalonia, has reportedly said that Manchester City is now in the lead in the competition to recruit Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona during the summer transfer window. The Dutch midfielder is also a target for Manchester United, who are Manchester City’s local rivals, but Bernardo Silva’s desire to join Barcelona has left Manchester City as the team with the upper hand in the race to get him.
Since his move to Barcelona from Ajax almost three years ago, Frenkie de Jong has been one of the club’s most consistent performers. Despite this, he is now in a difficult situation at Camp Nou. And if the Blaugrana may be in a stronger financial situation as a result of the activation of economic levers, the future of de Jong is still uncertain.
Despite recent events, the Dutch international has already made 140 appearances for Barcelona, and the Blaugrana are having trouble paying the player’s salary. The likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, along with other prominent clubs from throughout Europe, have taken notice of the situation as it now stands.
Since the beginning of the summer, the Red Devils have made it clear that they want to acquire de Jong, but Barcelona’s demands have created a potential roadblock for a move throughout the summer. Despite this, Manchester United is still interested in signing de Jong, even though Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have both left the club.
Recent rumours have also stated that de Jong is warming up to the notion of joining Manchester United after originally being hesitant to transfer to Old Trafford. But to sign the Barcelona midfielder, Manchester United will have to fight off intense competition from their neighbours at Manchester City. This may prove to be a difficult task, given that the Citizens are now in the lead position in the pursuit of the player.
Because Bernardo Silva wants to play for Barcelona, Manchester City may need to invest in a creative midfielder during the summer transfer window. It’s interesting to note that a trade combining Silva and de Jong would be a possibility since this would benefit all four parties involved. In addition, the source claims that the team that won the Premier League title is now in the lead for signing de Jong.
It will be interesting to see if Manchester United can do anything to claw their way back in the race to sign de Jong, especially with Erik ten Hag keen on reuniting with his compatriot. At this point, it seems as if the most likely destination for the Barcelona midfielder this summer will be Manchester City.
