Manchester United have reportedly received a 'boost' in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, following the retirement of former Red Gerard Pique.
Pique, who joined United in 2004, won the Premier League and Champions League during his time at Old Trafford. The 35-year-old made the surprise decision to hang up his boots mid-season, as he called time on his playing career after helping his side to one final clean sheet against Almeria on Saturday.
The Mirror now report that this is good news for United in their attempts to sign De Jong. They claim that the La Liga side could consider selling the former Ajax midfielder to Erik ten Hag's side as they use the money that would have been going towards Pique's wages to bolster their efforts to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City.
The financial struggles at Camp Nou are by no means a secret, and it now seems that De Jong's exit could be crucial in the Catalan giants' efforts to sign Bernardo.
Elsewhere, the Express report that Cody Gakpo could be set to follow in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy with a move from the Eredivisie to the Premier League.
The PSV winger was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford over the summer, yet a deal failed to materialise as United turned their attention to the signing of Antony instead. Gakpo admitted that it was a "shame" that his move to United broke down, revealing that he even spoke to Ten Hag on multiple occasions.
With Van Nistelrooy currently managing the 23-year-old at PSV, there will be many in the United camp hoping that his ties with the club could make all the difference as Gakpo considers his next move.
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