Manchester United 'close to agreeing Frenkie de Jong fee'

The 25-year-old's future has been called into question significantly during the past few weeks, in spite of his Blaugrana deal which runs until the summer of 2026.

The arrival of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford has led to suggestions that the new Red Devils manager could attempt to reunite with the player he oversaw the development of during his highly successful stint at Ajax.

De Jong featured prominently en route to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals with the Amsterdam giants, earning him a £77.4m move to Catalonia in the summer of 2019.

The midfielder has since amassed 13 goals and 17 assists from 139 games for Barcelona, although his only piece of silverware at Camp Nou so far has been the 2020-21 Copa del Rey crown.

Both Ronald Koeman and Xavi made De Jong a regular starter in the Blaugrana XI during the 2021-22 season, and he ended the campaign with four goals and five assists from 46 outings.

According to Sport, Man United have now made progress in negotiations with Barcelona and are edging closer to an agreement, which could see them fork out €80m (£68.7m) for the Dutchman's signature.

The report adds that there is a "serious chance" that De Jong will end his three-year stint with Barcelona in the coming weeks, and Man United do not anticipate any more roadblocks in negotiations with Barcelona.

However, it is now up to the 20-time English champions to convince De Jong to make the move to Old Trafford after the former Willem II youngster recently expressed his desire to remain in Spain.

"I prefer to stay with Barcelona," De Jong told ESPN. "Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age. I just said it too. I've never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I've achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice."

Man United's failure to qualify for the Champions League is said to have led to apprehension on the player's side, but optimism is growing around Old Trafford that a deal could be completed.

Barcelona are already due to welcome Franck Kessie to the club on a free transfer to bolster their midfield, and they continue to be credited with an interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves.

However, Kessie and fellow new arrival Andreas Christensen are yet to be registered by the Catalan giants, who must first trim their wage bill by offloading a number of fringe players.

Ten Hag has already waved goodbye to a number of midfielders ahead of his first season in charge, with Paul Pogba leading the exodus as he heads out of the exit door on a free transfer.

Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have also ended their stints with the Red Devils, while striker Edinson Cavani and goalkeeper Lee Grant have followed suit.