Manchester City's interest in Barcelona's midfielder Frenkie de Jong is growing, following their decision to abandon the chase for West Ham United's Declan Rice. This strategic shift, as reported by the Sun, suggests a strong intention by City to find a suitable replacement for Ilkay Gundogan who recently transferred to Camp Nou.
De Jong, 26, turned down an offer to join Manchester United last year and despite his preference to continue with Barcelona under Xavi Hernández, the LaLiga champions may be forced to part ways with the Dutch midfielder due to their colossal wage bill. De Jong's weekly earnings amount to €465,000 and Barcelona is speculated to demand a fee around £90 million (€104 million).
Man City's coach Pep Guardiola is an avowed fan of De Jong and had made an unsuccessful bid for him back in 2019. City's quest for a successor to Gundogan has gained urgency after their principal target, Rice, neared a £100m move to Arsenal.
De Jong's substantial wage bill might pose a stumbling block, but Barcelona's financial struggles may necessitate a player sale. Quoting Xavi, Barcelona's coach, from February regarding the previous transfer saga involving De Jong, he said, "He was very clear with me. He wanted to stay with us and there was no doubt... He is in a great moment, like the whole team."
In other news, RB Leipzig's Dominik Szoboszlai has completed his medical check and is expected to move to Liverpool following the activation of his €70m release clause, as per The Athletic. Manchester United, after finding Andre Onana of Internazionale too pricey, are now considering alternative goalkeeper options, including Feyenoord's Justin Bijlow and Eintracht Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp.
Elsewhere, West Ham is vying with AC Milan for South American wonderkid Dario Osorio, the 19-year-old winger from Universidad de Chile, and Arsenal is putting the final touches to their deal for Ajax's defender Jurrien Timber.
Lastly, Al Nassr have approached Sevilla for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The Morocco international might be relocating from Spain this summer if a suitable offer is made, although reports indicate his reluctance to move to Saudi Arabia.
