(Football news) According to Sky Sports, Manchester United have reached a “broad agreement” with FC Barcelona for the transfer of Frenkie de Jong with the fee believed to be €65m (£56m) plus performance related add-ons. The finer details of the deal still need to be ironed out but both the parties are confident of reaching an agreement while personal terms are not expected to be an issue. 

Frenkie de Jong has four years remaining on his current contract and made 46 appearances for FC Barcelona last season. He played under current Man United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax in the side that won the double (Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double) in the 2018/19 season as well as reached the Champions League semi-finals. The Dutchman has been Ten Hag’s priority target this summer and will prove to be a valuable addition to the Manchester United midfield as the club have already lost Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard.

Ten Hag has previously stated that he wants Manchester United to play a “dominant” and “dictating” brand of football and De Jong could be integral to adopt that playing style. The Dutchman is excellent in keeping possession with a 91% passing rate and has better statistics than both Fred and McTominay in terms of successful dribbles, touch quality and being dispossessed. However, De Jong’s transfer is not the solution to Manchester United’s problems and the club still needs a defensive midfielder, striker and a pair of full backs.

Also read: What are the biggest challenges Ten Hag faces at Manchester United