Frenkie de Jong is now convinced that his future lies away from Barcelona and is keen on a move to Manchester United.
The Dutchman has been put up for sale by the Spaniards, who must desperately raise cash to keep their high levels of annual debt down.
De Jong, 25, initially informed the board that he did not want to leave the Camp Nou and that he was already at his ‘dream’ club.
Despite the presence of Erik ten Hag, De Jong’s intiial response to interest from Manchester United was not overly positive as he would prefer to play for a club in the Champions League if he is forced out of the club.
However, Sport claim De Jong has had a change of heart and is no longer opposed to leaving Barcelona.
It’s claimed the reality of the situation has finally dawned on the former Ajax midfielder and he is excited about the prospect of playing in his favoured position again under Ten Hag and having the team built around him at the Theatre of Dreams.
It’s reported that a deal is now in its ‘decisive phase’ but Barcelona are holding out for a fee of around £86m for De Jong.
That’s significantly more than United are willing to pay, with the club valuing De Jong at closer to £60m.
United are yet to strengthen their squad this summer, while rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have added Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland respectively.
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