Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has supposedly told Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag that he would be open to a future move to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils fought tooth and nail to try to bring the Dutchman to the club during the summer window and were believed to have agreed a fee with Barcelona.
However, De Jong had no intention of leaving Camp Nou and refused to enter discussions with Man United, who were forced to abandon their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
Man United swooped for Casemiro instead, but they have been tipped to reignite their interest in De Jong, whose long-term future still hangs in the balance.
The former Ajax starlet publicly stated his desire to remain on the books at Camp Nou, but the Manchester Evening News reports that he told Ten Hag otherwise.
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The report states that De Jong informed Ten Hag that he would be willing to make the move to the Theatre of Dreams in private discussions, and his deferred wages proved to be the biggest roadblock in Man United's pursuit.
De Jong is still under contract at Barcelona until the end of the 2025-26 season, although he is said to have rejected the Blaugrana's latest attempts to slash his salary again.
The midfielder has 15 goals and 19 assists to show from 157 matches in a Barcelona shirt since arriving in 2019, including two strikes and one assist from 17 games in 2022-23.
De Jong scored one goal and set up one more in five starts for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup, as Oranje suffered quarter-final heartbreak to eventual winners Argentina.
Barcelona remain under no pressure to sell De Jong given his contract situation, and sporting director Jordi Cruyff has insisted that the ship has sailed regarding a possible exit for the midfielder.
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"Today this is not being talked about. In football there are moments and sometimes they are not defined solely by football issues," Cruyff told Sport.
"The fair play situation. Not everyone understands what it is, there are changes every week, but there are situations and decisions that are not just football things. But time has passed and he has an important role.
"The reality is that Frenkie has stayed, he is a loved player, people expect a lot from him because he is very talented and a slightly different player. There was the possibility because good players are always wanted by good teams, it works like that. The reality is that he is here and he is playing an important role.
"There are market moments and it's no longer with Frenkie, but with everyone, there is a fair play rule and the consequences of not complying with it are enormous and there are calculations that have nothing to do with what happens on the pitch."
Ten Hag also brought in Christian Eriksen alongside Casemiro in the summer, but the Man United boss is reportedly on the lookout for more youthful talent to add to his midfield ranks.
Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham also continues to be linked with a transfer to Man United, but Real Madrid and Liverpool are said to be leading the race for the 19-year-old.
Ben Knapton
