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Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong unlikely to be pursued by Manchester United in January
Manchester United are unlikely to pursue Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in the January transfer window. Gianluca Di Marzio does not believe the Red Devils will go after the Holland international in the winter window.
United tried to sign De Jong in the summer of 2022. However, a move did not end up materialising. The 25-year-old was not keen on moving to Manchester. In the end, the Old Trafford side opted to buy Casemiro.
And speaking to WettFreunenet (h/t Express), Di Marzio feels the arrival of the Brazilian from Real Madrid will hinder United from getting De Jong in January.
“After they brought Casemiro I don’t think that can happen in January because they spent a lot of money on Casemiro and the players are similar.
“I think it’s unlikely they can spend another £70m or £100m on De Jong, so I don’t think that can happen in January.”
Casemiro signed for the Red Devils in the recent transfer window for £70 million. And the 30-year-old has come with the pedigree of being one of the best defensive midfielders in the game.
However, the Brazilian did not have the best of starts to his career at United. The former Madrid star had to settle for a place on the bench initially, with Erik ten Hag preferring other options.
Scott McTominay was performing well during our four-game win streak. And the Dutch manager opted to stick with a similar starting lineup with the Scotland international in the number six position.
Fortunately, Casemiro has gotten into his own in recent weeks. The Brazilian got his first start in the 2-1 win against Everton and picked up the Man of the Match award. The 30-year-old also started against Newcastle United in the 0-0 draw.
However, De Jong is a different profile of player to Casemiro. The 25-year-old is capable of playing in the box-to-box position as well as the pivot.
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De Jong is also a quality player on the ball. The Holland international has previously also played under Ten Hag at Ajax. So it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils manage to sign him in the winter or next summer.
