Man United bid pushes Barcelona to go against star's wishes in dream Erik ten Hag transfer pursuit

Barcelona's precarious financial situation could leave them unable to register new £60million signing Dani Olmo, potentially playing into Manchester United's hands.

The Spanish international, fresh from Euro 2024 triumph, may find himself sidelined at the start of the new season with his new club due to La Liga's salary cap restrictions.

According to Cadena SER, Barcelona are grappling with a €100million (£85m) deficit in their 2023/24 budget, a consequence of unfulfilled revenue from financial 'levers' they pulled the previous year.

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To bridge this gap and reduce their wage bill, Barcelona are said to be considering selling players, which puts Frenkie de Jong's future at the club in question.

Despite his contract running until 2026 and no current talks of renewal, reports suggest Barcelona could let De Jong go for £51m, less than the £65m they paid in 2019, reports the Mirror.

De Jong himself expressed a desire to stay at Camp Nou, saying: "Staying at Barca? Yes, I'm very happy in Barcelona with my family, for sure. Hansi Flick wants me to be key. I talked to him. It was good."

Manchester United are poised to potentially boost Barcelona's transfer plans by prioritising the acquisition of a midfielder, with Frenkie de Jong remaining high on their list. Former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has a history with De Jong and has openly shared his strategy for the player had he joined the Red Devils.

"It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [in the middle]," Ten Hag disclosed in a discussion with Gary Neville.

"They would