Liverpool ‘join Manchester United in the hunt for Frenkie de Jong’ with the Dutchman’s place at Barcelona still in doubt… as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his midfield with four players set to leave next summer
- Frenkie de Jong was a target for Manchester United for much of last summer
- Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have now ‘shown an interest in the Dutch midfielder’
- It comes after the Reds have been hampered by serious injury problems
- They could also see four first team midfielders leave at the end of the season
Liverpool are ‘interested in bringing in long-term Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong‘ from Barcelona.
The Reds will be keen to add depth in midfield given that James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all be out of contract in June, while Arthur Melo’s loan deal will expire.
They have also faced something of an injury crisis this year, with seven first team players currently unavailable.
Frenkie de Jong was a top transfer target for Manchester United during the summer window
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have now joined the race amid mounting injury concerns
According to a report from Sport, Liverpool could move for De Jong as early as January if their injury problems persist, although they are more likely to wait until next summer.
The 25-year-old midfielder has made it clear he wants to stay at Barcelona but is thought to be unhappy at his level of playing time.
De Jong has generally made his appearances off the bench behind Sergio Busquets, something of a slight for a player rated so highly elsewhere.
De Jong has struggled for minutes recently and made most of his appearances from the bench
He was chased by Erik ten Hag’s United last summer but a deal could not be agreed, with the Red Devils eventually signing Casemiro instead.
For Liverpool, bringing in a world-class midfielder such as De Jong would be an excellent coup after a rocky start to the season.
They beat Manchester City in a potentially season-changing game on Sunday, but still sit eighth in the league and picked up another injury to Diogo Jota.
