Arsenal join Manchester United in race to sign 25-year-old valued around €85m: Reports

According to Sport, Arsenal have entered the race alongside Manchester United to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong.

De Jong has regularly been linked with a move away from Barcelona despite joining relatively recently from Ajax in January 2019. The midfielder himself recently claimed that he intends to stay at the club beyond the summer. However, Barcelona’s financial troubles and continued interest from Manchester United means that there is a possibility he might be sold.

Frenkie De Jong previously played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, which is a major reason why the Red Devils are considered ahead in the race. Still, recent reports claim that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are also considering a move for the player. In addition to Frenkie De Jong’s intentions to stay, the Dutch midfielder is also expected to favor a move to a Champions League team.

However, that is something neither Arsenal nor Manchester United can offer, at least next season.Barcelona are reportedly willing to accept an offer of at least around €85 million for the Dutch international.

Should Manchester United battle Arsenal to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong?

Manchester United are expected to spend around €120 million in the transfer market this summer. Considering the need to bring in players and the fact that multiple stars will leave this summer, a move for Frenkie De Jong appears to make little sense. Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba are all confirmed to leave, while Edinson Cavani is also expected to leave.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford have also been linked with moves, while a number of players have been deemed not good enough by fans and pundits. Harry Maguire ideally requires a replacement and a couple of attacking signings can also be expected. Both Lingard and Pogba have moved on free transfers which means not a lot of money is expected to come in as well.

In such a scenario, a better approach appears to be to bring in younger, lesser-known players who can be bought at more affordable prices than the €85 million that Barcelona want for Frenkie De Jong. It is difficult to see how Manchester United will be able to bring in more than two more players if they end up buying Frenkie De Jong for the stated price.

Of course, the reports might as well be false and the club might end up spending a lot more than €120 million this summer. Still, any high-profile signing must be complemented by the signing of multiple young and hungry players who can give it their all in each game for the Red Devils. It is difficult to imagine how else Erik ten Hag will be able to bring about a transformation in this team.