Manchester United have been given a surprise boost in their hopes of clinching a last-gasp deal for Frenkie de Jong after Thomas Tuchel appeared to rule Chelsea out of the race for the Dutch playmaker.
Erik ten Hag has been pursuing a blockbuster deal for the Barcelona star all summer but the former Ajax boss has so far been unable to persuade his former midfield maestro to reunite with him at Old Trafford.
United have since struck a £60million deal in principle with Real Madrid to bring Casemiro to the club - hinting that their protracted attempts to prise De Jong away from the Nou Camp were over. However, Mirror Football exclusively revealed that United could still be tempted back to the table for the 25-year-old if his stance on a switch to the Premier League softens.
It has since emerged that Barcelona are planning to launch a last-ditch attempt to offload De Jong. The Spanish giants have scheduled a fresh meeting with De Jong's representatives Ali Dursun and Hasan Centikaya which is due to take place later this week, according to a new report from Diario Sport.
And in another boost for United's hopes of salvaging a deal for De Jong, Tuchel appeared to cool talk of a late Chelsea swoop for the Barca man.
After being asked about the likelihood of dipping back into the transfer market to sign a midfielder after Chelsea's chastening 3-0 defeat to Leeds at the weekend, Tuchel retorted: "Another midfielder? We have Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, we have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, and Mateo Kovacic.
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"They're injured [Kante and Kovacic], yes, it's a problem. But they will come back. They've not disappeared."
Chelsea had emerged as De Jong's likeliest destination, but their withdrawal in the final weeks of the window could force the playmaker to reconsider interest from Manchester United.
Despite acquiring the services of Casemiro, a new report from Dutch outlet Telegraaf, via Sport, has outlined that Manchester United are planning to send a delegation to Spain to make one final attempt at thrashing out a deal for De Jong.
And although Barcelona president Joan Laporta has gone public with his desire to keep De Jong, it is believed that the Spanish giants are desperate to offload the midfielder, who is one of the highest earners at the cash-strapped club.
Barcelona are scrambling to raise funds that will enable them to register new signing Jules Kounde with La Liga - and they could risk losing the new recruit if a solution isn't found imminently.
The French defender, who was unable to feature in Sunday night's 4-1 over Real Sociedad, reportedly has a clause in his contract that states he is free to leave Barca if he is not registered by 31 August.
