Contact made: Man Utd now pushing ahead with summer chase for 'unique' star for Ten Hag - report

Manchester United have initiated contact with Barcelona over a move for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness). 

Following the appointment of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, the Red Devils have been strongly linked with a move for multiple players who worked under the 52-year-old at Ajax.

Having made the move from Willem II to the Eredivisie giants in 2015, De Jong made the grade in Amsterdam before going on to play 59 times under the tutelage of the new United manager.

There could now be a reunion in Manchester as Ten Hag attempts to recreate the spirit of his talented Ajax team which reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19.

As per Sport, translated by Sport Witness, United have ‘already spoken’ with Barcelona regarding a potential summer deal for De Jond.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain and local rivals Manchester City have also both been credited with an interest in the 40-cap Netherlands international, although it’s suggested that the latter would look to use a makeweight as part of any deal.

However, it is made clear that the Camp Nou outfit would be looking for a fee in the region of €100m (£85m) without the inclusion of players for the man hailed as ‘uniqe’ by Dutch legend Ronald de Boer owing to his versatility and start to life in Catalonia.

As United prepare to embark on yet another new dawn under their next manager, it’s pivotal that the hierarchy gives Ten Hag the tools in which to best complete the job at hand, which at present appears to be a seismic rebuild.

So far this season, De Jong has scored four times and provided four assists in 46 appearances for Barcelona, enjoying an impressive campaign whilst earning a 7.08 Sofascore rating. He has