Liverpool are reportedly ready to challenge Manchester United for the signature of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in the January transfer window.
De Jong’s possible move to United was the saga of the summer transfer window, with Erik ten Hag desperate to get his top target after arriving from Ajax. Ultimately, despite spending months on the deal and agreeing a transfer fee, De Jong ended up staying put and United turned their attention to Real Madrid ’s Casemiro instead.
However, just a few months down the line and speculation about the Dutchman’s future has already begun in the Spanish media. De Jong has been left on the bench for the past four games, with manager Xavi Hernandez preferring the combination of Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Pedri in midfield.
That situation means that De Jong’s exit in January is a distinct possibility, according to Sport, which reports that Liverpool are eyeing the 25-year-old. The Reds have clear problems in midfield, which is likely to get worse next summer, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner nearing the end of their contracts, while Arthur Melo’s loan deal is also set to expire.
Liverpool generally prefer to use the summer window to recruit new players, but they may need to move earlier in order to gazump United on De Jong. The Dutchman is under contract with Barca until June 2026. In the summer United agreed an initial fee of £56.2million for his services, rising to £72m with add-ons, but De Jong’s reluctance to leave eventually torpedoed the move.
Sport says that United are still keen on De Jong and have already got to work on reopening negotiations with Barcelona after seeing Xavi’s stance on starting him. Barca also signed Franck Kessie in the summer transfer window, increasing competition for places, and the report states that being snubbed for Sunday’s El Clasico with Real Madrid could be the final straw for De Jong.
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“I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid,' De Jong told Ziggo Sport recently. “Maybe he (Xavi) has already decided, but normally we don't know until the day of the game.”
Explaining his decision in the summer, he added: “I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period. I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would start to come... Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay at Barca so it never baffled me.”
It is currently unclear how a move in January would get around another stumbling block which emerged over the summer. De Jong is still owed around £15m in deferred wages after agreeing to a reduction of his pay during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
