Report: Barcelona reject United bid for De Jong worth potential €70M

Manchester United's opening offer of an initial €60 million with a further €10 million in add-ons for Frenkie de Jong was rejected by Barcelona, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

New Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag unsurprisingly identified midfield as a problem area following scarce recruitment in that department in recent seasons. As a result, he quickly made De Jong - who played under Ten Hag over his final two years at Ajax - his top target in the summer transfer window.

United's first bid was submitted days after the 25-year-old stated he would "prefer to stay with Barcelona" over being reunited with Ten Hag. However, United are prepared to test Barcelona's resolve given the Spanish giants' financial issues.

Barca value De Jong at around €85 million, Romano reports. The Dutchman cost the Catalonian outfit an initial €75-million fee to buy from Ajax in January 2019.

Barcelona boss Xavi admitted in May he couldn't rule out De Jong's sale. "He should be a big part of this era of the club, but we'll see what happens," he said.

United's need for a midfielder grew in recent weeks as it was confirmed Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, and the versatile Jesse Lingard are all leaving the club this summer.