Reporter Alex Crook has claimed on TalkSport that Manchester United have no Plan B if they can’t land Frenkie de Jong.
It’s no secret to anyone that United are desperate to land De Jong this summer to improve their midfield, which was not good enough to overcome Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend. However, they are facing a lot of hurdles in their pursuit.
The Red Devils have already reportedly agreed a fee with Barcelona for De Jong, although they are facing plenty of resistance from the midfielder, which has seen them seemingly move their attentions to Adrien Rabiot. Still, it appears he may not be seen as an alternative to De Jong and could instead be brought in to play alongside the Dutchman if all goes to plan.
Crook believes that Man United don’t have an alternative to De Jong and are putting all their efforts into bringing him in.
Speaking before the Rabiot developments emerged, he said: “Actually, I did get a message I think in the middle of the week from somebody connected at Old Trafford, and they were suggesting to me that there isn’t really a Plan B.
“I know we talked about Tielemans and Neves as being long-term targets, but I’m not sure that either of those deals, really, are likely to happen between now and September 1st.
Will Man United sign De Jong?
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“If De Jong doesn’t come, then apparently the plan is that Ten Hag will recruit from within, basically.”
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It seems bizarre, but also perhaps sums up Man United and their lack of cohesion in the transfer market, that they don’t have anyone behind De Jong in their list of midfielder targets, unless Ten Hag is looking to deploy Rabiot as a number six – something he hasn’t done much of at Juventus.
Given the excess baggage that comes with Rabiot, as there have been several cases of off-field problems with him and his agent (who is also his mother), it seems like Man United have next to no plan beyond signing De Jong, a player who doesn’t want to come in the first place.