Manchester City are among six teams interested in signing Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong, according to reports in Spain.
Barcelona, Tottenham, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund are also said to be keen on the Dutch international but it is believed he won’t be sold for less than €50m (£45m).
Fans on Twitter are excited by the prospect of signing de Jong:
Please he’s the best talent we can get for that position
— Shelby Limited (@mancityfutball) 6 September 2018
Hahaha speak of the devil this is the news I wanna hear
— 2️⃣1️⃣ (@SlapHeadSilva) 6 September 2018
Oh when de Jong ? goes sliding in!
— WOZ (@wozza64mcfc) 6 September 2018
— S.C/ Prince Kompany???? (@PrinceKompany) 6 September 2018
If City get him… Wow.
— _ (@afterhourszone) 6 September 2018
Him or neves to fill in for ferna ?
— Joninho ?? (@MendySZN) 6 September 2018
Would be a good young signing
— Keenan West (@keenanMCFC) 6 September 2018
Others, however, think he will sign for Barcelona:
As much as I like to hear this . I know he is most likely to sign for barca
— Cugat szn (@akhiliyano) 6 September 2018
After losing out on Jorginho to Chelsea in the summer, City will want to strengthen the heart of their midfield with another playmaker, but de Jong is an unorthodox player, to say the least.
The 21-year-old broke into the Ajax side as a central midfield player. During his first full season in the first team, he played mostly in that position, playing 26 times, scoring one goal and providing nine assists.
Yet, by the midway point of last campaign, he started playing as a centre-back before an injury cut his season short. This season, he has played ten games, seven in midfield and three in defence.