According to Sport, Paris Saint-Germain have now joined Liverpool and Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona maestro Frenkie de Jong.
What’s the story?
Well, Barcelona would ideally prefer to keep the Dutchman at the Camp Nou, although financial problems are still affecting the Spanish giants.
As a result, they are willing to sell De Jong – who has a release clause worth £338m – for just £68m, as PSG, Liverpool and Manchester United circle.
It has been said that the Netherlands international is tempted to reunite with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, and reject Liverpool in the process.
The pair struck up a close relationship at Ajax, where they were just seconds away from reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
One journalist even claimed that there is a 95% chance of De Jong signing for the Red Devils this summer, which is a very bold statement to make.
Now, the 25-year-old has another option, as Mauricio Pochettino and PSG enter the race for his signature.
In 47 appearances for Barcelona this season, De Jong scored four goals, while also providing five assists, as Xavi led the Catalans to second in La Liga.
PSG & Manchester United interest is not good for Liverpool
In our view, Liverpool are close to being shoved out of this transfer battle, if they haven’t been already.
At Manchester United, De Jong has Ten Hag as a reason to join, while the Red Devils have the finances ready to back their new manager and meet the £68m asking price.
PSG, with their Qatari-funded billions, would also have no problems in paying Barcelona’s asking price.
In Liverpool’s case, they cannot do anything about Ten Hag and De Jong’s relationship, nor can they match PSG financially.
If the Reds win the Champions League on Saturday, then that makes it a different story altogether.
However, as things stand, it seems Liverpool are not as well placed as PSG or Manchester United in the race for De Jong’s signature.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
