Ken RussoManchester City have pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice who is on his way to Arsenal and as per a report in The Sun, the Premier League champions are now interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
City were actively chasing Rice but when they realised the Gunners were the favourites in this race, they refused to get into a bidding war and swiftly backed out. However, Pep is still keen to reinforce his midfield which is why he is ready to spend big on De Jong.
Manchester United had tried everything to sign Frenkie de Jong last summer but the midfielder refused to join them because wanted to keep playing in the Champions League. Barcelona were ready to sell him last year and they are relaying the same feelings this summer as well but as per the rumours, Xavi’s side will demand around £90 million for the Dutch international.
De Jong did not want to play for Man United but we doubt if he will feel the same about Manchester City. City are the best team in the world right now and they have just ended the 22/23 season with an English treble. Players will do anything to play for this team next season and we believe FDJ is no different.
Will Man United challenge City in this signing?
Manchester United went beyond desperation last summer to try and land the 26-year-old and missing out on him was a big blow for Ten Hag.
United will definitely sit up and take notice now that Manchester City are interested in the midfielder but we don’t believe the Red Devils are going to challenge their local rivals. Man United have just signed Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60 million and the England international is a very similar player to Frenkie de Jong.
Mount was Ten Hag’s top priority this transfer window and now that he is on board there’s no sense in spending £90-95 million on someone who plays in a similar role.
Manchester City are expected to run a one-horse race in this transfer battle and even if any other club shows an interest in FDJ, Man United won’t jump in.
Does Pep Guardiola really need Frenkie de Jong?
Ilkay Gundogan has left as a free agent so Pep’s main target is to find a replacement for him and no matter how good a player Frenkie de Jong is, the Dutch midfielder is not a like-for-like substitute for Gundogan.
De Jong is a left-sided central midfielder while Gundogan used to play in a much more advanced role and because City have signed Mateo Kovacic this summer, the last thing they need is two left-sided No 8s.
Frenkie de Jong is a world-class talent but Guardiola needs to find an attacking midfielder instead of spending so much money on the Barca man. The likes of Rodri and Kovacic are masters at controlling and dictating games so De Jong’s arrival won’t make things any better than they are right now.
On paper, we don’t see how De Jong is an essential signing for Manchester City but then Guardiola is famous for using players out of their natural positions and coming out with flying colours so maybe he is planning to use the 26-year-old as a No 10 alongside De Bruyne next season.
When Ilkay Gundogan arrived at Manchester City before the 16/17 season, he was a proper central midfielder and in his first campaign in England, he played all his matches either as a central or defensive midfielder. Over the years, Guardiola has kept pushing him up the pitch and last season, he ended up playing as many as 14 games as an attacking midfielder.
Maybe, the Man City manager has similar plans for Frenkie de Jong as well.
