Man United see £42.9m transfer bid 'turned down' as surprise Diogo Dalot exit route emerges

Barcelona have 'rejected' an offer worth £42.9million from Manchester United for Frenkie de Jong.

That's according to reports from Spanish publication Nacional on the former Ajax playmaker. United pulled out all the stops to try and sign De Jong, 27, in 2022 shortly after Erik ten Hag was appointed as their manager.

However, the Netherlands international stayed put at the Camp Nou instead. His name has constantly been doing the rounds as a potential return target since then, leading to this development.

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United are in the market for another midfielder this summer. Their initial four-player shopping list for that position did not include De Jong, though, amid ongoing concerns whether or not Barcelona will actually sell the playmaker.

Martin Zubimendi, Manuel Ugarte, Adrien Rabiot and former loanee Sofyan Amrabat were included, while Burnley midfielder Sander Berge has since emerged as a potential alternative.

Similarly to former Ajax duo Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt, who are closing in on moves from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich this summer, De Jong is well known to Ten Hag from their Ajax days. The article from Spanish publication Nacional reckons Barcelona 'turned down' a formal bid as they want £72.9million.

Elsewhere, reports from Give Me Sport flag up interest from Real Madrid in United right-back Diogo Dalot.

United are set to replace West Ham-bound Aaron Wan-Bissaka with Mazraoui this summer. Mazraoui is set to cost around £17million as Wan-Bissaka prepares to head to the London Stadium for around £15million.

But could there be further changes in that position? Real are