Man Utd: £70m duo would be 'massive upgrades' at Old Trafford

Manchester United’s outlook for the season could suddenly look ‘much brighter’ if they manage to sign Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Red Devils are attempting to upgrade their midfield options by bringing in the duo from Barcelona and Juventus, respectively, replacing the likes of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

Fabrizio Romano revealed back in July that United and Barca have agreed a deal in principle for De Jong to move to Old Trafford for an initial €65 million (£55m) plus €20m (£16.9m) in add‑ons.

However, the Netherlands international has public expressed his desire to stay at Camp Nou and is also owed £17m in deferred wages, causing the proposed deal to reach an impasse.

And fellow Premier League side Chelsea are now close to agreeing terms with Barca for De Jong, adding further complications to United’s prospects of enticing the technician to the red half of Manchester.

Meanwhile, Romano has reported that the Red Devils have ‘reached an agreement’ with Juve over the purchase of Rabiot for an initial £15m.

The 27-year-old only have one year remaining on his current contract at the Allianz Stadium and personal terms still need to be agreed upon, although he is not seen as an alternative target to De Jong by the United hierarchy.

Jones believes that De Jong and Rabiot would represent significant upgrade for new United manager Erik ten Hag but admits there is a long way to go before either player arrives at Old Trafford.

He told GiveMeSport: “If it came off in the end, suddenly United end up with De Jong and Rabiot in their squad, then suddenly everything’s looking much brighter, and the whole place has been upgraded massively in terms of the calibre of the international