Man Utd to ‘take advantage’ of Barcelona financial woes with ‘£69.6m offer’ for star

Manchester United are reportedly preparing to rekindle their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong as concern grows over the financial welfare of the Catalan giants.

There has been much talk of Barca’s predicament over the last year but their concerns seemed to have been put to one side when president Joan Laporta and his board triggered a number of ‘financial levers’ to help them oversee an impressive summer recruitment drive. The likes of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski, Leeds United winger and Raphinha and Sevilla defender Jules Kounde were all added to their squad ahead of the new season.

Despite their weekend defeat against bitter rivals Real Madrid, Xavi’s side have made a promising start to their La Liga campaign after winning seven of their opening nine games. But last week’s Champions League defeat against Inter Milan has left Barca at severe risk of falling out of European football’s premier competition at the group stage, with an unlikely set of results needed to hand them a chance to progress into the knockout stages.

Without the financial rewards of progress in the Champions League, Barcelona’s financial welfare could be about to take a hit and one report in Spain has suggested United will offer them some relief by making a £69.6m bid for Dutch international midfielder De Jong. The ex-Ajax star was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window and a reunion with former manager Erik ten Hag looked likely at various stages of the close season.

The two clubs failed to agree a deal, despite several reports suggesting an agreement was close, and De Jong remained at the Nou Camp. But Spanish outlet Fichajes have now suggested United will make another bid for the midfielder as part of a three-pronged transfer push including AC Milan star Rafael Leao and Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez.