Man United have “genuine” interest in signing £25m “phenomenon”, forget about de Jong - opinion

Erik ten Hag’s reign at Manchester United so far has certainly been interesting.

Cristiano Ronaldo could leave, Harry Maguire has been booed by fans in America and a lengthy transfer saga has played out.

That saga revolves around Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

It appears Barcelona and United are ready to strike a deal but it now hinges on whether the Dutchman actually wants the move.

Should it collapse, then it appears ten Hag has other irons in the fire.

That’s the word of journalist Ben Jacobs who taking to Twitter, revealed an alternative in the middle of the park.

He said: “Man United’s interest in Tielemans is genuine, too, and growing. He’s a far cheaper and less complicated option than Frenkie de Jong. Erik ten Hag has put him on a midfield shortlist. Tielemans indicated under Ralf Rangnick he didn’t want to move to MUFC but ten Hag may revisit.”

De Jong would be a pretty perfect signing for ten Hag this summer.

The duo are already acquainted with each other due to their work at Ajax and as a result, reuniting them feels like a no-brainer.

However, at a whopping £63m, United’s money could be better spent elsewhere.

After all, the Old Trafford outfit have religiously thrown the book at players in recent years without too much success.

Turning to Tielemans, who is a classy “phenomenon” in the words of ex-Sweden midfielder Par Zetterberg, makes a great deal of sense.

Not only would he be much cheaper than de Jong at around £25m, but with a year left on his current contract, it would be easier to extract him from his current employer; Leicester City.

Arsenal are also in the race for the Belgian and if they can beat their top-four rivals to his signature, it would surely be celebrated by the United faithful.

Tha