Frenkie de Jong has been Erik ten Hag's top transfer target since becoming Manchester United manager in 2022, but the Netherlands midfielder remains a Barcelona player two years on
Erik ten Hag will be forced to rethink his plans at Manchester United if they're finally successful in signing Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils spent almost the entirety of summer 2022 attempting to sign De Jong from Barcelona, only for the Dutch midfielder to reject their advances. That doesn't appear to have put United off, though, with speculation ramping up once again ahead of transfer deadline day on August 30.
Barcelona remain financially insecure and were willing to sell De Jong for £56million two years ago when United first came knocking. Back then, Ten Hag planned on signing the Netherlands international, who he'd coached at Ajax, and deploying him in a midfield pairing alongside £60m signing Casemiro.
The ex- Real Madrid stalwart enjoyed a superb first season at Old Trafford but two years on, Casemiro's place in the starting XI is at risk - even more so if United do manage to convince De Jong this time around. That's largely because of one man: Kobbie Mainoo
The 19-year-old established himself as a nailed-on starter midway through last season, partnering Casemiro in midfield as the Brazilian's performances began to sharply decline. Mainoo, whose outstanding form at club level earned him a role for England at Euro 2024, was the pick of United's midfielders and it's highly unlikely that Ten Hag would drop him if De Jong was signed.
That decision would mark a U-turn from the Red Devils boss, who told Sky Sports earlier this year: "It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [playing together in 2022]. They would really be connected with each other. They would be really complementary to each other. That's a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player.
Ten Hag could ultimately avoid the headache of choosing one of Mainoo or Casemiro by selling the latter before the transfer window closes. Clubs from Saudi Arabia are interested in signing the 32-year-old but no move is imminent.
In addition, De Jong has this week reiterated that he's happy at Barca and wants to work under new manager Hansi Flick, having missed the European Championship and pre-season through a lingering ankle problem. "I'm very happy in Barcelona with my family, for sure," De Jong confirmed on Monday. "Hansi Flick wants me to be key. I talked to him. It was good."