Barcelona’s pursuit of Ilkay Gundogan puts future of Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong in doubt

Barcelona are working on a deal to sign Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, which has put the future of Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong in doubt, according to ESPN (h/t Mirror).

The 32-year-old Germany international’s current contract with the Sky Blues is set to expire at the end of the season. As a result, the Blaugrana are looking to sign the midfielder on a free transfer next summer.

However, the La Liga outfit have financial obstacles at the moment. They need to make an overall reduction in their annual wage budget by £159 million before signing new players. As a result, the Spanish giants will need to offload some first-team players.

De Jong is one of the Barcelona players the Red Devils wanted to acquire last summer. The Old Trafford side had agreed a fee with the Balugrana. However, the Holland international had no intention of parting ways with the Camp Nou side.

But United are once again eyeing the 25-year-old’s signature. Erik ten Hag hopes to reunite with the former Ajax star. Although, the midfielder is still keen on remaining with the La Liga outfit.

Barcelona’s engine room is already stacked. Xavi has the likes of Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Gavi and Frank Kessie at his disposal. Gundogan’s arrival would only add more riches to the Spanish giants’ midfield.

As for United, we signed Christian Eriksen and Casemiro last summer to bolster the middle of the park. The two have made a difference in the Red Devils’ team.

However, on the bench, the Old Trafford side seemingly lacks quality. The likes of Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek have been inconsistent over the years. We had to get Marcel Sabitzer on loan to add depth to the engine room in January.

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Any team would be lucky to have someone like De Jong in their ranks. The Holland international is familiar with Ten Hag’s style of play. However, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona will be forced to sell the 25-year-old at the end of the season.