Manchester United handed possible Frenkie de Jong boost after Joan Laporta transfer comment

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has admitted that the Spanish giants will have to sell before they can buy in this forthcoming summer's transfer window, offering Manchester United hope that they could finally lay their hands on Frenkie de Jong.

United, who are set to prioritise the addition of a new central-midfielder alongside a striker in the summer, were desperate to sign De Jong last summer in a pursuit that lasted for more than 100 days. Manager Erik ten Hag was determined to be reunited with the former Ajax midfielder and the Reds did get as far as agreeing a fee with Barcelona in late-June.

However, the deal broke down because of a dispute over unpaid wages at the Barcelona end. The Spanish club, like United, are looking to climb their way back to the top of European football after a few years on the decline and have made progress this season, currently finding themselves at the top of the La Liga table.

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The Spanish side spent big-money on recruiting the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha last summer and now, according to reports elsewhere, need to cut their salary outgoings from €600million to €400million for next season in order to register new players and hand out new contracts to current players.

To make that possible, Barcelona will have cut their cloth accordingly at the end of this season, meaning they could be forced into offloading some of their top earners and prized assets.

"We will surely sign a full-back, that is a priority," said Laporta, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo. "Perhaps a central defender too, it depends. We will try as far as we can to sign players.

"A striker too, that is true. But it is likely that players will have to be