Man Utd: Ten Hag 'monitoring' £72m star at Old Trafford

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is a ‘huge admirer’ of Frenkie de Jong and ‘will continue to monitor’ his situation ahead of retrying to lure the Barcelona star to Old Trafford, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Ten Hag was able to seal an £86million reunion with Antony on deadline day, but he failed in his efforts to link up with de Jong after also managing him at Ajax.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United and Chelsea will continue to keep tabs on de Jong ahead of potentially returning to the negotiating table during the winter window.

The respected Italian journalist suggests the 44-cap Netherlands international had no interest in leaving Barcelona during the summer and the Red Devils were unable to change his mind.

Manchester United thought they had won the race for de Jong’s signature when a deal worth close to £72million was agreed with his current employers in July, but a move to Old Trafford failed to come to fruition.

The Red Devils also had a £51.3million proposal rejected by Barcelona during the early stages of the transfer window.

De Jong was at the centre of a contract dispute while negotiations were ongoing, with the La Liga giants claiming the contract renewal he signed under the previous hierarchy had irregularities and, as a result, he was put under pressure to leave the Nou Camp or accept a wage reduction.

O’Rourke understands that ten Hag is still coveting de Jong and watching his contractual situation closely.

The journalist feels Barcelona may be forced to eventually cash-in on the central midfielder due to their money issues, increasing the chances of a move to Manchester United.

O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “Erik ten Hag is a huge admirer of Frenkie de Jong, so