Manchester United have plans to make an incredible £205 million double swoop for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, claims the Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News.
The Red Devils were heavily linked with a move for De Jong last summer but failed to secure the deal, which Luckhurst claims was due to a wage deferral rather than Old Trafford being an unattractive prospective new home.
Equally, United attempted to sign Bellingham the year before, but he opted for a move to Germany to further his development. He now has a decision to make with regard to his future, being widely expected to leave Dortmund in the summer and having plenty of suitors. Among them is Erik ten Hag’s side, and Luckhurst understands that given the opportunity to sign any player in the world right now, the Dutch manager would choose Bellingham.
Manchester United Planning Incredible £205 Million Double Swoop for Frenkie de Jong and Jude Bellingham
Erik Ten Hag Keen on Bringing De Jong to United
Ever since they worked together at Ajax, Ten Hag has been a big fan of De Jong and rates him as one of the best young creative midfielders in world football.
Read More: Manchester United to Make Imminent Bid for Cody Gakpo Signing
Despite last summer’s difficulties in bringing De Jong to the Red side of Manchester, the United boss still believes that he could lure the Dutch star to his club next year. Ten Hag wants to bring a young creative midfielder to Old Trafford next season regardless of signing two experienced ones in Christian Eriksen and Casemiro last summer. MEN even claims that De Jong told his former gaffer that he was happy to play for the Red Devils, the aforementioned deferred wages being the reason he never got his move.
De Jong’s Topsy-Turvy Campaign
After an eventful summer for him, the 25-year-old midfielder has had to work hard to regain a prominent role with Barcelona. He has made 17 appearances for them across all competitions this campaign, though, so has seemingly cemented himself in Xavi’s midfield at Camp Nou for now.
Read More: Erik Ten Hag Confirms Marcus Rashford Will Stay at Manchester United
In his last two appearances for Barcelona, he has bagged one goal and one assist. He headed into the World Cup in impressive form and was arguably one of the Netherlands’ best players of the tournament, with two direct goal involvements in five appearances.
A Spectacular Prospective £205 Million Double Swoop for Manchester United
A successful double swoop of both Bellingham and De Jong would be quite some achievement for United. While buying the duo in one transfer window could be a big ask, it is certainly a possibility, as each plays a different role in the centre of the midfield.
Last summer, United agreed to pay a fee of £74 million to sign De Jong from Barcelona. It looks as though little will have changed in the Dutchman’s situation come next summer, so we can expect him to be given a similar transfer value in 2023. Meanwhile, it has been reported by The Athletic that Bellingham would cost around £131 million. This is no small figure, and would easily break United’s current transfer record (£89 million for Paul Pogba in 2016), but as the Englishman is still just 19 years of age, this is an investment in the future which could still be paying off even 15 years down the line.
