Manchester United have had a long-standing interest in Frenkie de Jong dating back to his days with Ajax. Yet despite being linked with a move to Old Trafford nearly every window, he remains at Barcelona.. An on-again-off-again transfer saga in Erik ten Hag’s first summer of the club was the closest United got to signing the Netherlands international. Barcelona’s decision to keep hold of De Jong resulted in the Red Devils paying around £70million for 30-year-old Casemiro.. Having been on United’s radar since 2018, De Jong has constantly been one of the players tipped to be offloaded in Spain due to their financial problems. Each window, Barca face selling players to raise funds or to allow them to register their summer signings.. A move of around £63m, rising to £71m, was reportedly agreed for De Jong in 2022 but the midfielder turned the move down. It’s understood his wages have been a common problem in negotiations.. However, with the January transfer window closed and teams preparing for their summer business, De Jong is once again being linked with a move to the Premier League. Barca boss Hansi Flick has favoured Pedro, Dani Olmo and Marc Casado in midfield throughout the season though he has made 22 appearances.. According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have registered an interest in De Jong as part of their internal discussions on improving Arne Slot’s midfield. The Reds are thought to be desperate to strengthen in that position after failing to land Martin Zubimendi last year.. Frenkie de Jong could be available in the summer transfer window (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images). The report does state that De Jong’s reported £400,000-per-week salary is currently putting them off. However, his services could be made available for as little as €35m (£29.2m) – more than half of the value United agreed with Barcelona nearly three years ago.. United haven’t been re-linked with a move for De Jong recently but with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro both 32 and likely to be offloaded in the summer, Ruben Amorim is likely to want to strengthen his midfield in the summer.. At less than £30m, the Red Devils could finally land their long-term target seven years after first identifying him as a target.
