Barcelona reject Manchester United's opening £42.7m bid for Frenkie de Jong

De Jong is one of the highest earners at Barcelona.

Manchester United are in the market for a midfielder. They are once again targeting Frenkie de Jong this summer. The Premier League club tabled their initial offer of around £42.7m for the midfielder which Barcelona have rejected.

United have a long-standing interest in signing the Dutch midfielder ever since Erik ten Hag was appointed as Red Devils’ manager. The club pushed for his signing in 2022. They were ready to submit a big fee that saw Barcelona reach an agreement with United, but De Jong’s decision to remain at the Spanish club saw the deal fall off.

This summer, Barcelona are open to selling the Dutch midfielder. United continue to pursue the player but his decision remains the main issue. The Catalan giants are eager to offload his massive salary from their books which will help them make new signings.

Barcelona’s off-field issues have been the biggest problem for the club as their financial woes don’t seem to go away anytime soon. If United want to sign De Jong they will have to make a bid of around £60m along with an additional £8.5m in add-ons.

However, United’s new transfer department led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS have no intention to shell out that much sum. They feel they can get the deal done with a lower fee

Now United are once again in the race to sign the former Ajax player. Their first proposal was turned down by Barcelona as they feel they can pocket a better fee. Barcelona have been eager to sell the 27-year-old for the last two seasons, to raise funds and register new signings.

United have signed four players this summer as they continue to revamp the squad. Their key target now is adding a midfielder. Apart from Frenkie de Jong, Manuel Ugarte is another midfield target for them.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are going to start their new season under German manager Hansi Flick after the exit of Xavi. During pre-season, there were some positive signs under the former Bayern Munich manager. It will be interesting to see how the club will begin their new campaign under Flick.

De Jong will hope to be part of Barcelona’s plans for next season. But if United manage to meet Barcelona’s price tag for the midfielder then he could be reunited with Ten Hag.

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