Man Utd is on red while Barcelona names their price for the dream transfer of Erik ten Hag

Manchester United continue to show ‘strong interest’ in Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona have reportedly named their price for the Dutch midfielder.

The Red Devils were closely linked with the 27-year-old in 2022 – Erik ten Hag’s first summer at Old Trafford – but he rejected their advances.

Man Utd have been linked time and time again De Jong. Ten Hag is a great admirer of his and the pair worked well together during their time at Ajax.

According to Spanish outlet FichajesBarcelona have ‘set a price’ for De Jong’s departure as they look to generate cash to ease their ongoing financial problems.

It is claimed that the Catalans would be willing to sell De Jong for €70 million. Due to financial pressure, the sale of the midfielder seems ‘closer than ever’. If Man Utd are able to meet Barcelona’s price demands, the report suggests the Netherlands international could be heading to Old Trafford next season.

A separate report from SPORT claims De Jong is determined to make his time at Barcelona a successful one, but the LaLiga giants could still try to sell him.

Man Utd, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are all said to have shown interest, while Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring his situation.

Man Utd could release two midfielders

Man Utd could be in the market for a new midfielder next summer, despite recently signing Manuel Ugarte.

As previously reported, the Red Devils chiefs are keen to offload some unwanted stars and Casemiro is at the top of their list.

The 32-year-old earns as much as £350,000 a week at Man Utd and those at Old Trafford do not believe his performances on the pitch reflect his salary.

Man Utd are actively looking to sell Casemiro there is some interest in him from the Saudi Pro League.

That is another midfielder who faces an uncertain future Christian Eriksenwhose current contract expires at the end of the season.

Man Utd have yet to decide whether to extend his deal, but his current excellent form is certainly helping his cause.

Ahead of United’s trip to Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, Eriksen himself was asked about his future. The former Tottenham man admitted that is somewhat beyond his control.

He told reporters: “It’s not really up to me when my contract ends, it’s up to the club. I enjoy this. When summer comes, when the offer is there, I will definitely take it seriously.”

Man Utd could therefore lose two midfielders before the start of next season, so signing a quality player like De Jong could make sense. It will be interesting to see if the Red Devils will make any concrete moves towards him in the coming months.

Thomas Frank to Manchester United?

Meanwhile, the Man Utd hierarchy’s main focus remains on their manager’s situation, and whether Ten Hag can remain in the top spot.

The Red Devils have already started looking for possible replacements for their manager. However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will not rush into a decision and will only dismiss Ten Hag when he believes that an adequate successor has been found.

As we exclusively revealed on Thursday: Brentford boss Thomas Frank has emerged as one of the leading contenders to replace Ten Hag.

His success at Brentford, where he turned them from Championship regulars into a formidable Premier League team, has attracted the attention of many top clubs.

Frank is also hugely respected by his players and that is another reason why the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea have been eyeing him during their respective management searches.

Along with Frank, TEAMtalk understands that Graham Potter, Eddie Howe, Potter and Howe, TEAMtalk understands that Massimiliano Allegri, Edin Terzic and Lucien Favre have also been discussed as options by the Red Devils hierarchy, while Xavi has also been linked recently.

IN FOCUS: Frenkie de Jong under Erik ten Hag

De Jong played 59 games under Ten Hag before joining Barcelona for £65 million in the summer of 2019.

He recorded three goals and four assists for Ajax in those 59 appearances, with an average direct goal contribution per 720.2 minutes.

Ajax won 43 of those matches, drew 10 and lost six, giving the duo a win rate of 72.8 percent and a loss rate of 10.1 percent when working together.

The midfielder won the Eredivisie title in his last season under Ten Hag and scored an average of 88.1 passes per 90 competition minutes in the 2018/19 season.

He had a success rate of 91.1 percent and also created 1.6 chances per 90 league minutes.

The Dutch international completed 2.2 successful dribbles per 90 minutes and was dispossessed just 1.0 times per 90 minutes.

He also did a lot of defensive work under Ten Hag, with an average of 1.9 successful tackles and 1.6 interceptions per 90 Eredivisie minutes in 2018/19.

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