Erik ten Hag has shown he can convince Frenkie de Jong to choose Manchester United transfer

There’s no doubt Erik ten Hag would relish the opportunity to be reunited with Frenkie de Jong at Manchester United this summer. De Jong, though, doesn’t sound all that keen on leaving Barcelona.

United have of course already made early efforts to sign the midfielder. Ten Hag has identified him as an ideal target, leading to the club contacting their Catalan counterparts about De Jong’s availability.

For their part, Barcelona certainly aren't ready to rule out selling the midfielder to United. While Xavi has insisted he wants to keep De Jong at the Nou Camp, his comments have always come with the caveat that the decision is dependent on the club’s financial standing.

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The La Liga giants will almost certainly be offloading some of their assets this summer to balance the books, and at the same time fund more new signings. Given the emergence of Pedri and Gavi, De Jong may well be one of those players who could make way, which will be music to the ears of United and Ten Hag.

The only slight issue is De Jong’s reluctance to leave the Nou Camp. The Netherlands international addressed the possibility this week that his club could look to cash in on him this summer, but remains steadfast in his desire to stay put.

"I understand that. But the club didn't tell me anything,” De Jong told ADSportwereld. “They didn't propose anything to me, so I am assuming that nothing is going on.

"I have never felt regret regarding choosing Barcelona, definitely not. Barcelona is the club of my dreams and has been since I was a kid."

Of course, the decision may well be taken out of De Jong’s hands, given the situation Barcelona find themselves in financially.