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Manchester United could sign Frenkie de Jong if Barcelona sign Ilkay Gundogan this summer.
In a move which could throw the Dutch midfielder’s plans in the window, Erik ten Hag might be able to get his primary target after all.
Since his arrival as manager, he has been very persistent in wanting to bring the 25-year-old to the club.
His pursuit has been unsuccessful, with De Jong himself claiming that he doesn’t want to leave Barcelona to join Man United.
However, this hasn’t stopped Ten Hag from showing a huge amount of interest in the Dutch international.
According to The Mirror, if Barcelona signs Ilkay Gundogan this summer, De Jong’s future will indeed be in huge doubt.
United had an initial £56.2million bid agreed with Barca at the start of the season but the player declined as he remained adamant on staying.
Fans may remember that De Jong was regularly benched while the club tried to sell him but after the transfer window closed, but he was later given a run in the team and has been ever-present since.
The outlet claims that the midfielder is still one of Ten Hag’s top targets for the summer as he is still open to bringing his former Ajax star to the club.
It is unlikely that De Jong will change his mind and could still reject United if a bid goes in to Barcelona.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen arrived instead last summer and have provided a great combination up until the Danish international’s injury.
Marcel Sabitzer joined in January but hasn’t had the time to make the same impact as the two arrivals last year.
Ten Hag could also be boosted by Barca’s current financial situation with things looking precarious going into the next transfer window.
They will definitely need to sell before they can purchase anymore players.
If Gundogan arrived, he would no doubt provide fresh competition for De Jong and could even replace him after outstanding performances for Manchester City in recent years.
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