BREAKING NEWS: Manchester United has finally defeated Chelsea and Liverpool in the transfer sweepstakes by acquiring a midfield player for £70 million. A verbal deal was struck last night, and the player’s jersey is currently being delivered for a medical examination.

Manchester United are actively seeking to sign a new midfielder before the current transfer window closes. Recent reports have linked the club with Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte, but securing a deal for the player might be challenging due to PSG’s financial demands.

The French club is reportedly asking for around £60 million for Ugarte, and they seem firm on this valuation despite their recent acquisition of Joao Neves. This situation could compel Manchester United to explore other options, including a potential move for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.

According to reports from Sport, Manchester United might make another attempt to sign De Jong, a player who has been on their radar for some time. The club is reportedly willing to go to great lengths to secure the Netherlands international, but there are significant obstacles in their path.

De Jong has previously rejected the chance to join United, having turned down a move two years ago. Currently, he is recovering from an ankle injury that sidelined him last season, and he still has two years remaining on his contract with Barcelona.

Barcelona, meanwhile, is open to the idea of selling De Jong for around £51 million. The Catalan club is under financial pressure and is eager to return to a 1:1 spending ratio, which requires them to make a significant sale.

Despite this, convincing De Jong to leave Barcelona might prove difficult, especially given his previous refusal to negotiate with Manchester United and his apparent contentment at the Spanish club.

From United’s perspective, the deal might be complicated by several factors. While the transfer fee might not be an issue, De Jong’s substantial wages could pose a significant challenge. The Dutch midfielder currently earns a base salary of approximately £406,000 per week at Barcelona, and he might seek an increase if he were to move.

This would make him one of the highest earners at Manchester United, where Casemiro currently tops the wage bill at £350,000 per week, with Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes earning £300,000 per week each. Given these financial considerations and the player’s reluctance to leave Barcelona, it seems unlikely that Manchester United will succeed in signing De Jong this summer.