Speculation and frustration continue to surround Manchester United in the transfer window, which is likely to follow them all the way through the summer months.

With the uncertainty over the proposed takeover, the Red Devils are caught in the middle with their transfer budget, as a lot of moving parts are in play.

It is no secret that Erik Ten Hag wants to secure the services of Chelsea FC’s Mason Mount for £50 million, but the Dutch manager would also like to secure a midfielder that is able to slot in as a number eight and potentially also cover Casemiro as the deep-lying number six.

Manchester United have walked down this road before, just 12 months ago, as they had agreed a deal with FC Barcelona worth £70 million plus add-ons for the Dutch international. While their bid was accepted, the Red Devils could not convince De Jong to leave Barcelona and part ways with the club – especially as wages were currently unpaid at the time after deferring them during the Coronavirus pandemic.

A year on and Manchester United have more to come to De Jong with and place on the table. Ten Hag has settled in as manager, their recruitment has, on the whole, been clever, they have won a domestic trophy at the first time of asking, and perhaps most importantly, the ability to play in the Champions League.

Barcelona, as of recently, find themselves routinely pinned up against a wall in terms of finances. They are teetering on the edge of what is acceptable in LaLiga and for financial fair play, hence the flirtation of stars leaving every six months. It took several months to finally have Gavi’s new and improved contract ratified by the federation.

The Spanish club find themselves in a similar predicament this summer. With the arrival of fellow midfield Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Manchester City, plus the potential arrival of other stars around Europe, Barcelona are looking to offload one or two high profile players that they know can accrue a huge transfer fee to balance the books.

De Jong is always going to be in that conversation given his age profile and what with knowing that Ten Hag admires his compatriot and will do everything he possibly can to get that deal over the line.

It would be an enormous statement of intent from the Red Devils if they came back in for De Jong and finally signed their player of choice; but if he is to evade them for a second summer in a row, public perception of Manchester United’s ability to bring in elite players begins to dwindle.

There is a fine line between the two and Manchester United must tread carefully this summer if they are to go down this road once more.