Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong excited Manchester United fans by 'liking' the footage of Casemiro arriving at Old Trafford.
United transfer chiefs have travelled to the Catalan capital to attempt to resurrect a deal for the Dutch midfielder after the Blaugrana scheduled a meeting to speed up a sale of the player, whom they are desperate to cash in on in the final week of the transfer window.
De Jong has been the subject of a fresh approach from United after boss Erik ten Hag urged the club to remain patient on a deal that has been in negotiations for over 16 weeks. As Mirror Football exclusively reported, United's signing of Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, which was confirmed on Friday evening, has not ended the club's pursuit of the Barca star.
Casemiro arrived at Old Trafford for the first time on Monday and watched United's spirited defeat of Liverpool as the performance on the pitch and arrival of the Brazilian suggested that there were better days ahead for Ten Hag's team this season.
The Brazil international had said an emotional farewell to Real Madrid earlier on Monday before travelling to Manchester and watching the encounter at Old Trafford, where he was unveiled on the pitch ahead of the game.
Video footage circulated of Casemiro's arrival at the stadium ahead of the match, where a group of Red Devils' fans struggled to contain their excitement as they attempted to take pictures with him. De Jong engaged with the video on his Instagram account by 'liking' the post in the midst of United's pursuit of his signature.
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The Dutchman, who has been the subject of prolonged and sustained transfer interest from United, previously slammed the Catalan club on social media by 'liking' a post that was critical of their treatment of him throughout the summer, with this the latest social media move appearing to hint at his future.
United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough left Barcelona late last month after several days of trying to clinch a deal to sign the Barca midfielder. The pair had jetted to the Catalan capital several days earlier and despite reaching an agreement with the club, did not formalise the deal – but United hope that can now be revived with a fresh visit.
Barca have still not registered their new signing Jules Kounde, who could leave the club if the registration is not completed by the end of the summer window. The Blaugrana can now only register new signings by clearing their wage bill but this has proven to be significantly more difficult than they had initially hoped.
De Jong is the club's highest earner and he is owed a further €17million in amortization payments by Barca, indicating why they are so keen to sanction his exit this month.
