Manchester City may ignite their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer; however, it is doubtful that the Citizens would be able to land the Netherlands international, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Frenkie de Jong?
According to The Sun, Manchester City are 'mulling' over the possibility of making a £90 million bid for Barcelona midfielder De Jong, who earns £620k-a-week at the Catalan giants, following their decision to pull out of the race to sign Declan Rice.
Former captain Ilkay Gundogan has left to join Barcelona, leaving a void to fill in the midfield for Pep Guardiola as he prepares his side for their treble defence this term.
Manchester City has also looked at Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga; however, Liverpool, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are all keen on the 21-year-old, with the latter pushing hard to tempt him to Ligue 1 instead of the Premier League, as per The Guardian.
Barcelona are also interested in Veiga, though Paris Saint-Germain are intensifying their efforts to sign the midfielder as they take a new direction after the reign of Christophe Galtier ended.
This window, Manchester City have already officially announced Mateo Kovacic as their first new addition from Chelsea. At the same time, Times Sport indicate that RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol looks set to join the Citizens in a transfer worth £86 million, which would make him the most expensive defender of all time.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones has stated that he thinks it is unlikely that De Jong will move from Barcelona to Manchester City this summer.
Jones told FFC: "They only really intended to go out and do Gvardiol and Kovacic, but we shouldn't rule out other players arriving and one of those is the potential for a midfielder. Frenkie de Jong has been linked; I can't see them being able to get Frankie in this window. Gabri Veiga has been linked; he's probably a bit more seeable. It'll be interesting to see if Man City it was a trick up their sleeve, but first and foremost, they'll look to get that Gvardiol deal done."
Who else has been linked with a move to Manchester City this summer?
De Jong formed a key part of Barcelona's La Liga title-winning side last term and made 43 appearances in all competitions, registering two goals and four assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite this, it doesn't look likely that he will come through the door at the Etihad Stadium, leaving Guardiola in a position where he may need to assess alternative targets to bolster his fine squad.
The Guardian report that RB Salzburg playmaker Oscar Gloukh is on Manchester City's radar this summer and is being tracked by the Premier League title holders, though Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Villarreal are also pursuing the Israeli.
Argentinian reporter Bruno Gonzalez Garcia has claimed that Thiago Almada of Atalanta United is also a target, stating on Twitter: "Manchester United and Manchester City consulted Atlanta United for Thiago Almada.”
Looking forward, the transfer window may just be about to start getting interesting for Manchester City as Guardiola gets his squad in gear for the start of the new Premier League season.
