Think the Frenkie De Jong saga is over at Man United? Think again. ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest.
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Man United hunt De Jong, keen to be in Bellingham battle
Barcelona‘s Frenkie de Jong remains on Manchester United‘s transfer wish list, sources told ESPN, while Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham will also be central to United’s transfer plans next summer.
Despite strong interest from United, De Jong remained at Barcelona during the transfer window, saying he never wanted to leave the Spanish giants. But sources told ESPN that United manager Erik ten Hag isn’t put off by the 25-year-old’s public stance and won’t rule out the possibility of making another bid next summer. There is still a feeling at Old Trafford that De Jong could leave Barcelona in the future and he could be convinced to move to Manchester where he’d reunite with his former Ajax manager Ten Hag.
United agreed the framework of a deal with Barcelona in the summer but negotiations stalled over United’s reluctance to cover deferred wages owed to De Jong.
– Insight: Where should Bellingham go?
“I always wanted to stay at Barcelona and this is why I always remained calm in the summer,” he said. “I can’t give too much details away. The club has it’s own ideas and I have my own ideas too. And sometimes this clashes with each other. But at the end of the day things went OK.”
Bellingham is set to be one of the most sought after players in Europe next summer, and Dortmund are likely to demand a huge transfer fee for the England international, whose contract runs out in 2025. The 19-year-old, fourth on ESPN’s 39 under-21 list of stars back in April, is enjoying a fine start to the season and is expected to play a key role for Engand at the World Cup in Qatar.
Sources at United added there is an acceptance they will face stern competition from Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid but they will be in the queue for his signature, having registered their interest in him during his time at Championship side Birmingham. Bellingham rejected offers from a range of Premier League clubs in 2020, eventually signing for Dortmund in a £22.5 million deal — a world record fee for a 17-year-old.
United are not planning a major revamp of their squad in January and will instead wait until the summer to make further changes to the squad. The club recently announced a net loss of £115.5m for 2021-22 and an increase in net debt of £94.5m, with no major arrivals likely in the January window. — Rob Dawson
