United’s ties with De Jong have been known for some time as Ten Hague seeks a star worthy of becoming the focus of his new midfield. Paul Pogba is about to leave Old Trafford, among other things, which creates more than enough space for the Dutchman to seal his power in the middle of the park. And with Barcelona still in a difficult financial position, it seems that De Jong’s auction is a necessary evil for her this summer. As the stars begin to align, a journalist posed the question in everyone’s mind after the Netherlands’s draw with Poland on Saturday. “Are you leaving the Catalan beaches for the cold of Manchester?” he asked, before De Jong burst out laughing, seemingly knowing the inevitable question was coming, and replied, “I can not say anything.” JUST IN: Liverpool will “agree the terms” with the second star, as the Reds try to take advantage of the arrest of Darwin Nunez And a return to the top four of the next campaign is by no means guaranteed by the pace at which the teams around United want to strengthen. Liverpool and Manchester City are expected to continue again next season, and it would be a surprise if Tottenham do not start after a productive summer that has already landed the honorable boss Antonio Conte with several of his top goals. This could leave only one place in the top four and Ten Hag will of course hope that De Jong’s future arrival will make a difference. But its services will not be cheap. United have already turned down a bid of around 60 60m and it could take around 73 73m to complete the deal. This would break a large part of the club’s transfer budget for Ten Hague’s first summer at the helm, despite the need for many other positions to be strengthened. Many fans have called for the replacement of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Jurrien Timber and Pau Torres have been linked with a central defender. Reinforcements at the top are not ruled out either, especially now that Liverpool seem to have signed her with Benfica shooter Darwin Nunez.
