Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has been quoted as saying he expects Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to make the move to Old Trafford this summer.
The Dutchman, speaking on punditry duty with Via Play, as quoted and translated in the tweet below, seems to have let slip that he believes his old club are confident about their pursuit of De Jong.
Despite the lengthy saga that has taken up so much of this summer, Stam feels that De Jong must have some desire to join Man Utd or the club would never have put quite so much time into trying to get the deal done…
? – Jaap Stam: "My feeling is that Frenkie de Jong will come here. At (Manchester United) they know for a long time that Frenkie de Jong wants to come otherwise they would never push this long to get it done. It's just a money issue for now." [viaplay] pic.twitter.com/GFdDejIPTd
— ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) August 7, 2022
De Jong looks an ideal signing for United to give them a much-needed upgrade on the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred in midfield, who don’t look like being enough for MUFC this season after the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic this summer.
United fans will hope Stam knows something that the rest of us don’t and that a deal for De Jong may actually be more likely than originally anticipated.