Contact made: Ten Hag eyeing MUFC move for £85m "genius", supporters surely buzzing - opinion

Manchester United are keen on securing a summer transfer for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

According to a recent report from Spanish outlet Sport, United are gunning after the 24-year-old more than any other club at the moment and have been in contact with the player over a potential summer move to Old Trafford.

After making 89 senior appearances for Ajax, the midfielder joined Barcelona in the summer of 2019 as the Spanish giants secured a January deal for him worth a reported £65m.

Since joining the La Liga giants, the Dutchman has gone on to make 139 appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and delivering 17 assists along the way.

Labelled a “genius” by current Barcelona boss and former player Xavi, De Jong reportedly has a price tag of £85m.

This season has seen the 25-year-old play in all but six of Barcelona’s matches across all competitions, showing just how important he is to the team and why they may be reluctant to let him leave this summer.

To highlight the talent that he has, no other midfielder in Barcelona’s squad with more than 1,000 passes in the league can boast a higher pass completion percentage than De Jong (89.9%). He is also listed in the top five for shot-creating actions (73) and successful pressures (89) for Barcelona in the league this season, once again highlighting his effectiveness on and off the ball.

Taking this into account, and with United having a lower passing success percentage than the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur this season, it’s easy to see why the Red Devils and Erik Ten Hag would be so eager to have such a capable ball-playing midfielder like De Jong in their team.

This reported contact to the player should fill a lot of United fans with