Man City may be about to deny Man Utd their ideal Frenkie de Jong transfer alternative

Manchester United have been widely tipped to reignite their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong when the transfer window opens later this month.

Manchester City could be set to prevent Manchester United from signing their perfect alternative to Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong ahead of the new Premier League season. The Red Devils have long been credited with a desire to land the Dutchman, who they targeted last summer but to no avail following the player's decision to stay and fight for his place at the Nou Camp.

Erik ten Hag is still believed to be keen on the idea of reuniting with De Jong at Old Trafford this year, with ESPN reporting that a renewed approach by United could be on the cards when the bidding finally opens later this month. However, there are no guarantees that a successful move would be engineered at the second time of asking, which could force United to settle for an alternative target in their efforts to strengthen in the middle of the park.

Rio Ferdinand has already suggested that Chelsea maestro Mateo Kovacic could be a shrewd back-up option for the Red Devils to pursue, telling his YouTube channel FIVE: "It sounds too difficult and too complicated [to sign De Jong], move on. I think Kovacic has got a year left. I like him, he's different to what we've got."

Kovacic played a key role in shaping Chelsea's second Champions League triumph back in 2021 and is still very much an important player for the Blues in spite of their lacklustre form over the course of the season just gone. He also won three European titles during his time at Real Madrid before joining the west Londoners, which suggests that he could be exactly the kind of player to help United in their ongoing bid to become serial trophy-winners once again.