Manchester United could be poised to move for another former Ajax player in the January transfer window.
Since manager Erik ten Hag moved from Ajax to Old Trafford in May 2022, the Dutchman has signed five players who previously played under him in Amsterdam.
Lisandro Martinez and Antony joined United directly from Ajax, before Andre Onana arrived from Inter Milan, followed by Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.
United have also been heavily linked with Frenkie de Jong, who played under Ten Hag for Ajax from 2017 to 2019 before the midfielder moved to Barcelona.
De Jong, 27, has only made two appearances for Barca this season due to a knee injury but Ten Hag is still reportedly keen on signing him during the January transfer window.
Manchester United are reportedly still interested in signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona
De Jong (right) pictured with Erik ten Hag (left) in 2019 during their time together at Ajax
According to SPORT, United have not been put off by multiple rejections and De Jong is still one of Ten Hag’s dream targets.
Ten Hag apparently believes De Jong has the potential to significantly boost his proposed rebuild project at United.
However, the report by the Spanish newspaper also adds that a move for De Jong could be Ten Hag’s final roll of the dice as United boss.
The suggestion is that signing De Jong would need to result in strong improvements from the team or Ten Hag would likely be sacked.
United started the weekend 14th in the Premier League after winning just two of their first seven games this season.
It is claimed that Barca head coach Hansi Flick would like to keep De Jong but that the decision over his future is likely to be made by those in the boardroom.
Barca’s delicate financial situation is no secret and taking De Jong’s wages off the payroll could create some helpful breathing space.
Ten Hag is under pressure at Old Trafford after United’s disappointing start to the season
De Jong pictured (left) smiling during a Barcelona team training session on Saturday morning
De Jong’s paycheck has been the subject of much speculation in recent seasons.
But earlier this year, De Jong denied reports that he was earning an annual salary of £31million.
Speaking to fcbarcelona.com, De Jong said: ‘It is not true that I earn 37 million [euros]. That’s a very big figure and is a long way off what I really earn.’
