Manchester United are edging closer to the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona according to the latest reports from Spain, and the Dutchman would be a sensational addition to Erik ten Hag's side.

What's the word?

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), ten Hag is 'seducing' the former Ajax man with his new Manchester United project and that the two parties are now 'very close' to a full agreement.

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They cite Barcelona's financial woes as a key reason for the midfielder's potential exit and claim that he is ready to pack his bags and move away from the Nou Camp this summer, with ten Hag keen to convince him to make the move to Old Trafford.

Magic for Ten Hag?

There is little doubt that United need reinforcements in midfield if they are to improve on their disappointing sixth-place finish from last season.

The effectiveness of a Fred and Scott McTominay double pivot has regularly been questioned, while ten Hag will also be without Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata after their contracts with the Red Devils came to an end.

De Jong was one of ten Hag's key players in 2018/19, when the Eredivisie side reached the Champions League semi-final, as he made 11 appearances in the competition, averaging a superb 7.03 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The Netherlands international is extremely adept with the ball, averaging an impressive 91.7% pass accuracy in La Liga last season, which was comfortably better than any of United's regular starters.

Journalist Muhammad Butt waxed lyrical about the young midfielder after his switch to Barcelona, saying:

"Frenkie de Jong though... What an unreal player. He is absolute magic. He's gone under the radar since signing for Barcelona but he is absolutely on a whole another level to every other young midfielder around. A pure genius."

Previous reports have suggested that he would be available for £67m this summer and while that represents a significant outlay for United, they are desperate for some quality in midfield and ten Hag already knows how to get the best out of De Jong.

 

If he can replicate his form for Ajax in a United shirt, perhaps even re-establishing his connection with Donny van de Beek in United's side, then he would surely be worth every penny.

And, in other news... Bye-Bye Maguire: Glazers must swoop for Spanish defender...