Manchester United Willing To Shell Out Big Bucks In Renewed Chase For Barcelona Star

Manchester United has been off to a much better start this season, but it can always be better as they are looking ahead towards the 2023 summer transfer window.

The Red Devils were rumored and later confirmed to be in pursuit of Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong last summer, but a transfer failed to materialize which led to them signing Casemiro away from Real Madrid for $60 million plus $10 million in add-ons.

However, they are not giving up that quickly on bringing in de Jong to the Theater of Dreams.

It was recently reported that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is still wishing to bring on de Jong and that the player is also believed to have made it internally known that he wants out of Barcelona.

According to Spanish-based transfer rumors website Fichajes, Manchester United is more than happy to field an offer of at least €80 million ($78.7 million) to get their man.

De Jong has made eight appearances for Barcelona this season, four of which were starts, but has been limited to just one goal and no assists.

At age 25, de Jong may be prompted to ask for a transfer in search of more consistent first team action and Manchester United would be the ideal place for him.

For those unfamiliar with his game, de Jong is more of a playmaking defensive midfielder who enjoys getting the ball to his teammates with long cross-field passes.

Other than his underlying prowess on the soccer field, another reason why ten Hag wants to bring in De Jong is because of their past connection with Ajax.

From the 2016 to 2019 season, ten Hag took de Jong under his wing and helped him blossom into the coveted star that he is now with their partnership helping Ajax win the Eredivisie title in the 2018-19 season–the club's first Dutch domestic title since the 2013-14 season.

Netting de Jong will be a massive coup for the Red Devils' perceived long-term success under ten Hag, though it could mean they may see some departures from their end to help ease the financial side.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fred are some names who immediately come to mind as de Jong would likely take most of their playing time away from them.

If Manchester United were to pull off the de Jong move while continuing to see improvement from their current set of wards this season, it would not be surprising to see them inch closer to competing for an English Premier League title once again.