Frenkie de Jong 'gives green light to Manchester United move'

The former Ajax man is believed to be Erik ten Hag's number one target to bolster the engine room following Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba's exits.

De Jong earned his breakthrough under Ten Hag at Ajax before securing a £77.4m move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019, although he has only won one Copa del Rey in Catalonia so far.

The 25-year-old is under contract with La Blaugrana until 2026, meaning that Barca can afford to drive a hard bargain for his signature as Man United try to tempt him to the Premier League.

The Red Devils have supposedly tabled a bid of €80m (£68.1m) for De Jong's services, which Barcelona would receive €60m (£51.1m) of upfront with another €20m (£17m) in add-ons.

De Jong had previously affirmed his desire to remain at Barcelona, but according to Sport, the Netherlands international has now given his approval for a move to Old Trafford.

The report adds that Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been keeping tabs on De Jong, but Barca's valuation of the midfielder has seen them withdraw their interest.

Ten Hag has supposedly promised De Jong that he will become a "star player" at Man United, whose offer for the Dutchman is supposedly ready to be accepted by the Catalan club.

A separate report from Spanish outlet Marca states that Man United's £68.1m bid is 'too important not to accept', with Barcelona desperate to boost their coffers amid their financial uncertainty.

As a result, De Jong's proposed switch to Man United is seemingly inching ever closer, which will bring an end to his time in Spain after three productive seasons.

De Jong has pulled on the Barcelona shirt on 139 occasions since arriving as a 22-year-old, scoring 13 goals and setting up 17 more in that time.

Despite having to compete with emerging starlets Gavi and Pedri, De Jong still racked up four goals and five assists in 46 appearances for Xavi's side, starting 30 games in La Liga to help Barcelona to a second-placed finish.

Under Ten Hag, the former Willem II youngster scooped an Eredivisie and KNVB-Beker double in the 2018-19 season, as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals that same year.

De Jong is also poised to win his 43rd cap for the Netherlands national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Poland after coming off the bench to play a key role in Wout Weghorst's late winner against Wales in midweek.

However, Man United appear to have lost out on the signature of Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, who is thought to be edging closer to a move to Liverpool in an £86m deal.