Manchester United are reportedly prepared to offer Marcus Rashford and Alex Telles in exchange for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Erik ten Hag has been confirmed as the Red Devils’ new manager and his arrival is set to coincide with a huge overhaul of the squad at Old Trafford.
The Dutch coach is set to ring the changes and is reportedly targeting one of his former Ajax players this summer. De Jong, 24, played under Ten Hag for two years at the Amsterdam giants, developing into one of Europe’s most promising young midfielders during that time.
According to Fichajes.net, Barcelona will listen to offers for the Dutch midfielder upwards of £72 million. United are weighing up their options and could offer Rashford and Telles as makeweights in a deal to bring De Jong to the Premier League in order to save money on a fee.
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Notably, De Jong was a part of the Ten Hag-coached Ajax team which went till the semi-finals of the 2019 Champions League. The 24-year-old also won the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup in the same year under the manager.
Manchester United are already set to lose two of their established central midfielders. Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are departing Manchester United with their contracts expiring.
It paves the way for Erik ten Hag to come in and begin work on overhauling the squad with a midfield signing a necessity. And who better than Frenkie de Jong for the role.
Barcelona manager Xavi says he wants to keep Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 24, who has been linked with a move to #MUFC that would reunite him with former boss Erik ten Hag. (Manchester Evening News)
🔴⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/tDpDz6PA6I
— Duke's United Show (@DukesUnitedShow) April 24, 2022
The Dutch midfielder played 78 times under Ten Hag for Ajax, scoring four goals and contributing 13 assists. The pair’s past relationship bodes well for what could be an astute signing for the Red Devils if they can strike a deal for the Dutchman.
Barcelona may have reservations over bringing in both Rashford and Telles. Neither has had seasons befitting him to be a starter at Barca, with the English forward having perhaps the worst campaign of his career.
The Brazilian left-back is Luke Shaw’s understudy and hasn’t wrapped himself up in glory this season.
But financial complications at the Nou Camp mean Barca need to be tactile with their transfer operations. Perhaps they will see the chance to grab two players for the price of one too hard to turn down.
One thing is clear: Manchester United need a massive overhaul to go back to glory days again .