Manchester City is reportedly considering the potential signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was previously a target for local rivals Manchester United.
During the previous summer transfer window, Manchester United made significant efforts to secure the services of 26-year-old De Jong, who had previously played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax. However, the Netherlands international expressed his desire to remain at Camp Nou, which led Manchester United to pursue Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro as a late window signing.
Now, with the need to find a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan and their pursuit of Declan Rice from West Ham United coming to an end, Manchester City has turned their attention to De Jong.
Rice, aged 24, is reportedly close to completing a move to Arsenal after the Gunners agreed to a deal worth £100 million, with an additional £5 million in add-ons, on June 28th. The finalization of the deal is said to be a mere formality at this stage.
Frenkie de Jong, who reportedly earns €465,000 per week, has expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona. However, the Catalan club would consider letting him go if a fee of over €100 million is offered. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola holds great admiration for De Jong and had previously made an unsuccessful attempt to sign him in 2019.
Having already played 183 games for Barcelona, De Jong is considered one of Xavi's key players at Camp Nou. He secured the La Liga title and Spanish Super Cup last season, adding to his accomplishments as the former Eredivisie Player of the Season. De Jong has also won the Spanish Cup during his time at Barcelona.
While De Jong still has three years remaining on his contract, Barcelona is reportedly open to the possibility of removing his hefty salary from their books. If De Jong were to join Manchester City after last year's failed transfer pursuit by Manchester United, it would certainly be a disappointment for Erik ten Hag.
Considering the ongoing financial challenges, it may now be necessary for the La Liga champions to part ways with the Dutch midfielder in order to reduce their significant wage bill.
