Newcastle United will reportedly provide stiff competition to Manchester United in the race to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Frenkie de Jong has popped up on the radar of Newcastle United over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Barcelona midfield maestro is also a target for Manchester United amid widespread speculation surrounding his future.
Frenkie de Jong has made gradual progress in his career since joining Barcelona from Ajax in July 2019. The Dutch international has turned out 138 times for the Blaugrana thus far, chipping in with 13 goals and 17 assists.
But de Jong’s Barcelona future is up in the air, as the Catalan giants remain in financial distress despite some measures taken by Joan Laporta. And the 25-year-old could be Barcelona’s best hope to raise some much-needed funds to balance their books. Such a situation has captured the attention of Manchester United and Newcastle United.
The Barcelona midfield maestro has emerged as a priority target for Manchester United, who will need to sign a midfielder in the summer transfer window. Nemanja Matic will leave the Red Devils after the 2021/22 season ends, while Paul Pogba could also depart from Old Trafford as a free agent.
Frenkie de Jong has thus popped up on Manchester United’s radar, with recent reports claiming the Red Devils are closing in on signing him. But Manchester United will face stiff competition from Newcastle United in the race to secure the services of de Jong in the summer transfer window.
The interest from Newcastle United is understandable, considering they will continue their squad overhaul in the summer transfer window. With Bruno Guimaraes already showing world-class potential at St. James’ Park, signing de Jong from Barcelona will be a step in the right direction for Newcastle.
But Newcastle United could have an uphill task in the pursuit of de Jong, who might not want to join the Magpies as they will not play in the UEFA Champions League next season. Recent reports have also claimed that the Barcelona midfield maestro is ready to snub Manchester United for the same reason. But it will be interesting to see if Newcastle can convince de Jong to move to St. James’ Park.
