Barca want Maguire to be swapped with De Jong

DBasia.news – Manchester United reportedly rejected Barcelona’s attempt to swap Harry Maguire for Frenkie de Jong.

The Red Devils and Barca have met halfway over a deal to bring the Dutch midfielder to Old Trafford, with 69 million pound potentially an amount agreed by both parties.

Now, as reported by the Daily Mail, Barcelona are interested in Maguire and have asked that the England defender be included in the transfer package and exchanged for De Jong.

But Man United rejected the proposal because their new boss, Erik ten Hag, wanted to keep Maguire and work with him.

Currently, De Jong is seen as the number one priority for Ten Hag, with the two having worked together at Ajax.

Man United’s midfield needs an overhaul and De Jong is seen as personnel who can make Ten Hag’s team more cohesive.

Regardless, the Red Devils do need a new midfield general, given the departures of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard.

In the other corner, Barca boss Xavi is said to be targeting a central defender, especially with Gerard Pique often injured and Samuel Umtiti likely to leave.

The Blaugrana do have defenders like Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Clement Lenglet, but they still want to sign Maguire.

Maguire received criticism and insults as the Red Devils stumbled throughout the season, with Man United only able to finish sixth with the worst Premier League points in their history.

The 29-year-old defender often makes blunders, hesitates to defend, and has a chaotic positioning, making United’s back line a mess.

But Maguire, who is the world’s most expensive defender after signing to Old Trafford for 80 million pounds from Leicester City in 2019, wants to stay in Manchester and prove to Ten Hag that he can still be relied on.