Tottenham Hotspur emerge as major competitors for Manchester United long-term target Frenkie de Jong

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to compete for the signature of FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.

United have been linked to the Dutchman since the summer of 2022 when they had a €85 million fee accepted from the Spanish club.

However, De Jong rejected the chance to join his former manager Erik ten Hag at United and the Red Devils went on to sign Casemiro that summer from Real Madrid.

Spanish outlet Fichajes is adamant that United, alongside Tottenham, still hold a major interest in acquiring the midfielder.

“Frenkie de Jong, one of the key players in Barcelona’s squad, could be close to leaving Camp Nou,” the outlet reports.

“The Dutch midfielder has attracted the interest of several Premier League giants, with Tottenham being the club that has been most insistent in recent days in trying to secure his services. This interest is added to that of Manchester United, who have been closely following the player’s situation for some time, although now direct competition seems to have emerged between the two English clubs.”

In a fresh twist to the story, it is added that finally De Jong might be ready to embrace interest from abroad and willingly depart the Catalan giants.

It is claimed that the decision to let the “fundamental” midfielder go is not an easy one for Barcelona but the financial needs of the club may “tip the balance”.

Interestingly, it is stated that “the possibility of exploring a new challenge in the Premier League and the temptation of an ambitious project could seduce the player.”

The 27 year old’s ability to handle the ball under pressure and precise passing are seen as very attractive qualities to both United and Spurs.

The Spanish site concludes by stating that Ruben Amorim maintains United’s long-standing interest in the Dutch international as an “historic transfer” could be triggered in the near future.

De Jong would certainly bring a level of passing to the United midfield that will likely be lost once Christian Eriksen leaves but it is debatable whether he would have the physical intensity that Amorim seems to crave in players.

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