Ten Hag now wants United to agree deal for ‘extraordinary’ £50m star in January – report | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will request the hierarchy to make a renewed attempt to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in January.

Ten Hag previously worked with De Jong during his time at Ajax and he was keen on a reunion with the 27-year-old when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2022.

The Red Devils managed to reach an agreement with the Blaugrana after weeks of negotiations, but a transfer failed to materialise due to De Jong’s stance.

The Netherlands international had no desire to part ways with the Catalan giants and he refused to negotiate personal terms with United over a transfer.

De Jong has continued to be linked with the Red Devils. Sport today (page 4) claim that Ten Hag is keen on renewing the club’s interest in the midfielder if he stays until January.

The Ajax graduate recently recovered from a long-term ankle injury. Ten Hag feels the addition of the Dutchman could ‘give new impetus to a team in constant reconstruction’.

As things stand, the £50 million-rated star is happy at Barcelona. He has no plans of leaving the club with his contract not expiring until the summer of 2026.

However, Sport say that his situation could change if Barcelona were to force him through the exit door to improve their finances and lower their wage bill.

Barcelona could be behind fresh De Jong speculation

Ten Hag had a strong relationship with De Jong when he was managing him in Amsterdam. The duo had two-and-a-half seasons together before the latter’s move to Catalonia.

Despite this bond, the midfielder was not convinced to join United in 2022. Ten Hag has since acknowledged that he wanted to play De Jong and Casemiro together.

The Dutch tactician may still have an interest, but we don’t see a deal happening at the current point.

United made a huge outlay of more than £180 million over the summer and they spent big money to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain to add midfield quality.

Ugarte has yet to become a mainstay in the Premier League XI for United and we don’t see the hierarchy backing the manager with another mid-season midfield recruit.

There is no guarantee that Ten Hag will stay at the helm by that time.

Furthermore, De Jong, who has been described as ‘extraordinary‘ by Xavi Hernandez, has repeatedly said that he is not contemplating a fresh challenge elsewhere.

Barcelona are probably using the Catalan media to try and push him through the exit door.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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