Manchester United have reportedly failed with an offer of €50m (£42.8m) for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, whom they memorably tried to capture in the summer of 2022.
Upon his arrival at Old Trafford in 2022, Erik ten Hag made it his personal mission to reunite with De Jong, whose rise to prominence he oversaw during their productive stint at Ajax.
The Eredivisie giants memorably reached the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League thanks to De Jong's efforts, which saw the midfielder secure a marquee switch to Camp Nou.
Man United fought tooth and nail for weeks on end to bring the 27-year-old to Old Trafford and were believed to have agreed a deal with Barcelona at one stage, only for De Jong to reject a switch.
Instead, Ten Hag welcomed Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to the club, but both experienced midfielders have been heavily linked with exits after a drop-off in performance levels last season.
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Barcelona 'demand £72.8m' for Frenkie de Jong
Since that 2022 saga, the Red Devils are always thought to have had their eye on De Jong, who has affirmed on numerous occasions that he has no interest in leaving Barcelona, but he is now in the last two years of his contract.
The ex-Ajax man is expected to play a prominent role under new boss Hansi Flick, but it remains unclear whether De Jong will be handed an extension by the powers-that-be, who could therefore look to sell him this summer in order to recoup a sizeable fee.
According to Spanish outlet Nacional, Man United - and more specifically Sir Jim Ratcliffe - have reignited their interest in De Jong, and they sent an opening bid of €50m (£42.8m) to the Barcelona offices.
That offer was considered too low by president Joan Laporta, who is said to be open to selling De Jong for the right price, but he is demanding a package of €85m (£72.8m) to part ways with the Dutchman.
Man United would supposedly have to pay a fixed fee of €70m (£59.9m) and another €15m (£12.8m) in performance-related add-ons to sign the 27-year-old, whom Ten Hag is apparently 'totally obsessed' with capturing.
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The former Ajax protege has registered 17 goals and 21 assists in 213 competitive matches for Barcelona across all competitions since his €86m (£73.6m) arrival, winning one La Liga title, one Supercopa de Espana and one Copa del Rey in the process.
De Jong could form part of triple Ajax reunion
While it is difficult to see Man United bowing to Laporta's price demands without a significant sale or two in the coming weeks, they could strike a triple Ajax reunion by forking out the big bucks for De Jong.
The Red Devils are on the brink of securing the double signing of Bayern Munich defensive duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, whom Ten Hag also nurtured in Amsterdam during his successful spell.
De Ligt and Mazraoui were seen arriving at an airport in Munich as they prepared to fly to Manchester for their medicals and contract signing, as they follow Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee to Old Trafford.
De Ligt will act as a temporary stand-in for Yoro, who will miss at least three months with a foot injury, while Mazraoui is being signed as a replacement for the West Ham United-bound Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Ben Knapton
