After capturing the services of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw this week, ex-Manchester City man Nigel De Jong may be the next name on Louis van Gaal’s shortlist. With United’s spending already totalling nearly £60m, De Jong could be brought in for a cut-price fee of £10m according to the Daily Star.
With United’s midfield undoubtedly lacking a destroyer to protect the back four, De Jong might just be the perfect signing at a very reasonable price, despite his previous connections with local rivals Manchester City. De Jong signed for City in 2009 for a reported fee of £18m and was a key part of their title win in the 2011/12 season, before moving on to AC Milan that summer for £3.5m after Roberto Mancini saw his services as surplus to requirements.
The £10m price tag is far cheaper than the previous defensive midfielder target, William Carvalho, who Sporting Lisbon would only sell if United coughed up £35m. Whilst Carvalho has never played at top-level football before, De Jong would fit straight in at a club the size of Manchester United and his vast experience, with 74 caps for the Netherlands, could prove vital to United’s season, having already seen veterans Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic leave the club.
Louis van Gaal will already be very familiar with the midfield enforcer, as he is a part of the Dutch squad currently in Brazil, making a potential transition period much easier for both player and manager. De Jong has impressed both fans and neutrals alike so far at the World Cup, and it will not be surprising if he has also caught the eye of the 10-man Manchester United scouting team in Brazil, as well as his current national team manager.
United’s midfield is crying out for a tough physical presence, having seen opponents continuously dominate the centre of the park last season, and De Jong could be just the man to solve that problem. Milan are ready to cash in on key players after their abysmal 8th place finish in Seria A last season, giving De Jong a feasible price tag that van Gaal may look to take advantage of.