A new suitor has entered the battle as Frenkie de Jong's Barcelona stint becomes more competitive, according to a story transmitted by the Spanish magazine Diario AS, which attributes Liverpool with a serious interest.
De Jong has apparently been placed on the market by Barcelona, who are in need of some significant sales. Although the midfielder doesn't really want to leave, Barcelona understands that making a profit on him would relieve them of a lot of pressure.
Manchester United appeared to be the sole participant so far. In truth, the Premier League team and Barcelona had a general transfer deal in place for the summer, but the player's resistance led Barcelona to decide to keep the Dutchman on their squad.
Of late, several reports mentioned that Manchester United did not really lose contact with the player’s representatives, but as it seems, the Red Devils will now have to compete with their arch-nemesis for de Jong’s signature.
The situation at Liverpool is pretty much straightforward. The red half of Merseyside is in dire need of a new midfielder now that Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all said to be leaving after the current season.
The problem at Anfield has been persisting since the beginning of the campaign. First, Jurgen Klopp decided not to put his head into it, but as the team went deeper into the chaos, Arthur Melo from Juventus was brought on loan.
The Brazilian’s acquisition did not really fulfil Liverpool’s criteria as he is out injured for a long time anyway. So, for now, Liverpool wants to speed up the process and might as well consider making a move for de Jong in winter.
The Reds do not really have any financial crunches and, unlike Barcelona, are very much in the race to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Hence, a move is indeed on the cards.