English champions Manchester City are eyeing a shocking €90m move for FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong, as reported by The Sun on Sunday.
De Jong, 26, turned down an €85 million offer from Manchester United last year, denying the chance to play under his former manager Erik Ten Hag.
Man City, who completed the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for a €25m fee plus add-ons, are now looking to land the Dutch footballer after ending their pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice whose next destination is likely to be Arsenal following a €103m bid submitted by the North London club.
City have already lost their captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barca, despite signing Kovacic last week, the treble winners are not satisfied with their midfield as Bernardo Silva may as well leave the club.
De Jong has been on the radar of Man United for a long time but they were never in a firm position to land the midfielder. However, the interest from the 20-time Premier League (PL) winners may finally come to an end since they have signed the Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount on a €60m deal.
De Jong moved to Barcelona from Ajax in July 2019 and has represented the club on 183 occasions in all competitions, contributing to 15 goals and 21 assists in the process.
He was the key to Barca’s league-winning campaign last season as he appeared in 43 matches throughout the season.
He is considered as one of the most important midfielders of the Catalan club and has formed a formidable midfield with Barca’s young prodigies Pedri and Gavi, two Golden-boy Award winners.
The Dutch midfielder has consistently shown his desire to stay at Barcelona and the club has no will to sell the midfielder but considering the current economical state of the Catalan club, it may not come as a surprise if the 26-year-old finally leaves the club after four years with three years still left on his contract.