The 'absurd' exchange that United offers to convince FC Barcelona with Frenkie de Jong

Manchester United has been one of the major clubs interested for some time in one of FC Barcelona's standout midfielders, Frenkie de Jong. This interest stems not only from sporting reasons, as the addition of the Dutchman would be a significant boost to the midfield of the Red Devils, but also driven by the desire of coach Erik ten Hag to once again have players he successfully developed during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.

Currently, although the signing of De Arkel does not appear to be a priority in Manchester United's sports planning, the possibility that the Old Trafford side may try to acquire the services of Barça's '21' at some point cannot be ruled out. This is especially significant considering they have not yet made any signings to strengthen their midfield, unlike what they have done in other areas of the field, such as the defense (Leny Yoro) and the attack (Joshua Zirkzee).

However, Manchester United is aware that signing Frenkie de Jong will not be an easy task. Why? FC Barcelona is expecting a significant sum for the transfer of their talented midfielder, valued at least between €60 and €70 million, with the possibility of this amount increasing. Given that the English side has already spent €62 million on Yoro and €42.5 million on Zirkzee, they are likely to seek a way to reduce the player's price if they want to add him to their squad.

The swap proposal Manchester United offered to FC Barcelona for De Jong

As suggested by 'El Nacional.cat', Manchester United is considering offering a swap to FC Barcelona to lower the exit price of Frenkie de Jong. However, the proposed player may not be the most appealing to the Blaugrana, as the Red Devils, knowing that the Catalan side is looking for a winger, are interested in including the Brazilian Antony in the deal.

The former Ajax player is not part of Erik ten Hag's plans, which could facilitate his departure and make this operation viable. Although Barcelona were interested in the winger in the past, they are currently not considering his signing, both for sporting and non-sporting reasons.

From a footballing perspective, although the São Paulo native fits the profile of a dynamic player sought by the Barcelona team, his recent performance has been inconsistent, as he has not managed to shine with the Manchester team. Additionally, Barcelona is looking for a natural left-winger, while Antony, who is left-footed, usually plays as a right-winger, a position where the Catalan club already has stars like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Moreover, in non-footballing terms, the reputation of United's '21' as a controversial and troublesome player also works against him. Considering all these aspects and the fact that his earnings at the English club are around €6.7 million net per year, which would represent a significant increase in the team's wage scale, it is not surprising that Barcelona is ruling out the option of adding the Brazilian and even less considering him in an exchange for Frenkie de Jong, whose transfer is expected to be quite profitable for the Blaugrana's finances.