The stunning Man Utd & Barcelona swap deal that would see Amorim sign star who Messi called "very intelligent"
Manchester United are looking to offload attacker Marcus Rashford this summer after his loan spell at Aston Villa.
Ruben Amorim’s rebuild has got off to a great start, as he looks to have strengthened in attack, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves and working to add Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.
However, Manchester United need more quality across the whole pitch, meaning that he will also have to be shrewd in signing other players in different positions. That means that United will need to make several sales this summer.
Marcus Rashford is one name that the Red Devils are likely to sell, with interest so far reported from Barcelona and Inter Milan. The England international reportedly wants a move to the Nou Camp.
Man United could swap Rashford for De Jong
Barcelona do like Rashford and are willing to sign him, however, the issue with the attacker would be due to his hefty wages, something that the Spanish side would struggle to pay.
With that in mind, both clubs could find a way out of the deadlock by agreeing on a swap deal, where Rashford would go to Spain, and United would sign midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
The Red Devils have been linked to De Jong for several years now, and reportedly approached Barcelona over the midfielder last summer. This season, De Jong was in and out of Hansi Flick’s starting XI. He made 46 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
De Jong’s estimated value is around £38m, so a direct swap for Rashford would make sense, as United want to sell the forward for £40m, which was his buy-out fee at Aston Villa.
The Dutch midfielder would be a good addition to a United team that lack control in the middle of the park. He is a possession-based player, who can play as a defensive midfielder, which would fit in with Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation.
With Christian Eriksen leaving the club this summer, and the futures of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo uncertain, De Jong could be the perfect addition to Ruben Amorim’s midfield.
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi was full of praise for De Jong, who he played two seasons with at the La Liga club. He said in an interview with Spanish outlet Marca: “He is a very complete footballer.
“A very intelligent player, who is very sure of himself with the ball. He has a very high technical quality. He has everything.”
De Jong could be a cheaper alternative to Ederson
United have been linked to Atalanta midfielder Ederson, however, after they failed to win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League, it now looks unlikely that they will be able to sign the Brazilian.
Ederson would be expected to cost around £60m, and there has been recent interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal after they failed to sign Bruno Fernandes from Man United.
The Brazilian is also a defensive midfielder, and in a similar way to De Jong, likes to help control the midfield. If United were able to pull off a swap deal between the Dutchman and Rashford, they wouldn’t need to go after Ederson.