Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal has provided his take on the massive fee that Manchester United should be required to cough up to seal a deal for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong.
Dutch international de Jong, of course, has been hotly tipped for a Camp Nou departure ahead of the summer.
Despite his unquestionable talents, and boss Xavi Hernandez’s persistent assurances that the former Ajax man remains central to his plans, the board in the Catalan capital are understood to be taking into serious consideration de Jong’s sale.
In turn, to this point, one club and one club only have been pushed in the media as the midfield maestro’s most likely landing spot.
The outfit in question? Manchester United.
Owing to the departures of all of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata, the Red Devils are expected to be in the market for fresh blood in the middle of the park throughout the upcoming summer.
And de Jong is one such player understood to sit towards the top of the wishlist at Old Trafford, where he would of course be in line for a reunion with former manager Erik ten Hag.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JANUARY 03: Frenkie De Jong of FC Barcelona during a training session at Camp Nou on January 03, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Reports over the course of the last 24 hours, meanwhile, have pointed towards an acceleration on the part of the transfer team in Manchester, amid their ongoing push for the 25-year-old.
An opening proposal worth an initial €60 million, plus a further €20 million in bonuses, is understood to have arrived at the Camp Nou.
It now remains to be seen whether such terms prove sufficient to coax Barcelona into a sale.
As alluded to above, though, one individual who is evidently of the opinion that, in fact, de Jong is worth considerably more than the rumoured €80 million on the table for his services comes in the form of Louis van Gaal.
Speaking to the media on the back of his side’s Nations League meeting with Wales, which saw the Barcelona star emerge from the bench to play a starring role en route to an eventual 2-1 victory, Netherlands boss van Gaal unveiled his own valuation of de Jong’s talents:
“I already knew how important Frenkie is. I don’t need to see that any more,” the Dutch tactician began.
“Frenkie brings extra quality, that’s why he is worth €112 million.”
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