In an effort to close a deal for 25-year-old Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough are both in Barcelona.
If Manchester United are unable to sign De Jong, they have a backup plan that includes Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans, who plays for Leicester City, as well as Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, who plays for Wolves. Both players are 25 years old.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have agreed to pay Leeds United’s £65 million asking price for 25-year-old Brazilian winger Raphinha, and the Spanish club will now put more emphasis on selling De Jong to Manchester United.
Chelsea, on the other hand, appear to be trailing Barcelona in their pursuit of Raphinha, and the Blues may choose for 26-year-old Bayern Munich and Germany forward Serge Gnabry instead.
