Manchester United have finally identified an alternative to Frenkie de Jong with the Barcelona star becoming adamant about a move to Old Trafford this summer. The Red Devils are now reportedly considering the signing of Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic who is said to be the second-choice on Erik ten Hag's list of other midfield targets.
Despite agreeing an $85M fee with Barcelona over two weeks ago, Manchester United's pursuit of De Jong has stalled in recent times owning to a handful of complications. The 25-year-old Dutchman and his representatives are said to be dragging their feet in the purported move due to defered payments in wages being owed to the former by Los Blaugrana. The Catalan giants owe around $20M in deferred wages but made a low-ball offer which is about $10M short of what is due the player. This initial offer has since been rejected by the Netherlands international.
In the aftermath of this development, Barcelona have reiterated their desire to keep De Jong at the club. While this is not financially feasible, the club has told the former Ajax man that he must accept another 50 per cent pay cut if he desires to remain at Camp Nou. Head coach Xavi Hernandez has also hinted that he could be deployed in a makeshift center-back role for the new season with the club being stacked in the midfield area.
While De Jong is yet to respond to the new directive, Manchester United are said to be focusing their attention elsewhere with the start of the new season being a few days away. Although the Dutchman still remains the primary midfield target of Erik ten Hag, the former Ajax boss is reportedly aroused by the idea of recruiting Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio. According to Calcio Mercato via the Daily Mail in UK, the 27-year-old will not come cheap, with Lazio requesting at least $71M (£60.5M) for their box-to-box midfielder.
Although Milinkovic-Savic has previously been linked to Manchester United, he has never shown a desire to leave Rome. However, with only two years left on his contract, the chance could have materialised at the opportune moment. Last season, the big Serb contributed 11 goals and assists apiece across all competitions.
