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Manchester United are reportedly ready to rekindle their interest in long-term transfer target Frenkie de Jong and could also launch a fresh bid to lure Jude Bellingham to Old Trafford.
Both De Jong and Bellingham have been extensively linked with moves to the club in recent years: De Jong was new United boss Erik ten Hag’s primary summer transfer target, while Bellingham met with club officials prior to joining Borussia Dortmund during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure.
After missing out on De Jong in the summer, it was believed that United’s interest in the Dutchman had ceased. However, both De Jong and Bellingham are still on the club’s radar as Ten Hag continues to overhaul his playing squad.
According to The Manchester Evening News, sources at United believe that a player of Bellingham’s ilk would be capable of playing a pivotal role in transforming the club’s fortunates as Ten Hag bids to build a squad capable of ending United’s long Premier League title drought.
Ten Hag is believed to have been keeping a close eye on Bellingham’s progression at Dortmund and has privately admitted to people close to him that if he could acquire any player in the world, then it would be the midfield prodigy, who excelled for England at the World Cup.
TeamtalkWhile Borussia Dortmund are braced for interest in Bellingham next month, the 19-year-old is not expected to leave the club until next summer. However, with the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid also desperate to capture Bellingham’s signature, convincing the coveted teenager to move to Old Trafford would be far from straightforward – even if United qualify for the Champions League.
Join the debate! Who would you like to see Man Utd target in the future: Bellingham or De Jong? Let us know here.
De Jong is also still admired by Ten Hag. United’s tedious pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder was slammed by some people after he insisted he wanted to stay put at the Nou Camp. However, the same report claims that De Jong personally gave Ten Hag assurances that he was happy to join United.
Like Bellingham, De Jong impressed at the World Cup but his future at Barcelona is still uncertain. United did agree on a fee with Barcelona for De Jong’s services, but issues over the midfielder’s wage deferral agreement with the Spanish giants played a part in scuppering a deal.
Manchester United turned their attention to Real Madrid enforcer Casemiro after it became clear a move for De Jong was not going to materialise in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
And although the Brazilian has impressed alongside Christian Eriksen in a double pivot, Ten Hag is still eager to sign a younger creative midfielder and believes that De Jong is a ‘world-class’ player who would be capable of taking United to the next level.
Source:The Mirror