According to sky sports, Frenkie de Jong is close to becoming Erik ten Hag's first signing as Manchester United manager; "Broad agreement" on fee - believed to be €65m (£56m) plus performance-related add-ons; 25-year-old midfielder made 46 appearances for Barcelona during the 2021/22 campaign
The clubs have a "broad agreement" on the fee - believed to be €65m (£56m) plus performance-related add-ons.
Personal terms are not expected to be a problem.
The Dutchman made 46 appearances for Barcelona last term and has four years remaining on his current contract at the Nou Camp.
De Jong played under new United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax and was part of the squad that completed the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double during the 2018/19 campaign, as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
He could be joined by a host of other Ajax stars, with Ten Hag also seeking reunions with Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico at Old Trafford.
The Premier League giants have stalled movements for most other targets in order to ensure they get De Jong's arrival over the line. And it seems it's finally coming together, with Barcelona eager to offload the Netherlands international before July 1 to benefit their accounts.
Christian Eriksen is another name Ten Hag is considering, while the Dutchman is also looking to sign a back-up goalkeeper.
The Red Devils will be keen to confirm their first summer transfer after missing out on Darwin Nunez to Liverpool and seemingly being snubbed by Jurrien Timber.
Six players have already departed, with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Lee Grant leaving on free transfers this summer at the end of their contracts.
If Man Utd are to play the "dominant, dictating" football Erik ten Hag wants, their midfield needs an upgrade. Frenkie de Jong could be a solution
The stylish midfielder does his best work from deep, stepping past challenges or threading a pass through the lines to move his team up the pitch.
He rarely gives the ball away. He had a 91 per cent passing rate in La Liga last season and, as well as that metric, also eclipsed McTominay and Fred in stats measuring dribble success, touch quality and how often they are dispossesse
De Jong may not be the sole answer to United's problems but he would bring an upgrade to their central midfield department and unlock a way of playing Ten Hag desires.d.
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