Home » Erik ten Hag to keep an eye on four Barcelona players linked with a move to Manchester United

Erik ten Hag to keep an eye on four Barcelona players linked with a move to Manchester United

by Joe Taylor
Ronald Araujo


Manchester United held previous interest in four players who could play for Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday.

In what is expected to be a great second leg, the two clubs will face each other after an entertaining 2-2 draw.

The schedule is set to get busier in the days to come with United still in four competitions with the Carabao Cup final coming up this Sunday.

First up, the Europa League play off to determine who can progress into the next round of the competition concludes this week.

Spanish outlet AS have written on the four Barcelona players United had been interested in throughout the past couple of seasons.

The first player spoken about is Ansu Fati, who has recently become of interest following the lack of chances under Xavi.

United had an offer of around 100 million euros rejected for the winger who had a contract expiring within months at that point.

However, he soon extended his stay at the club with his current deal expiring in June 2027.

Fati has recently spoken to the media where he said that he ‘hopes to be at Barca for many more years’.

Another player the Red Devils held an interest in was defender Ronald Araujo who was heavily linked at the start of 2022.

However, in April of that year, he extended his contract with the club until 2026 with a release clause of 1,000 million euros.

Frenkie de Jong, the player Erik ten Hag wanted the most during his first transfer window at the club, could also play on Thursday.

Many United fans were dreaming of a potential arrival from the world-class Dutch international.

However, he made his intentions very clear to Barcelona manager Xavi that he wanted to stay at the club and wouldn’t leave.

It was also decided that the club would get rid of the midfielder but he stayed firm throughout the summer and is enjoying a great run of games as of late.

He could be the most decisive player on Thursday for Barcelona.

Finally, Alejandro Balde has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford this season.

United have often been in the market for a new left-back with Alex Telles arriving a couple of seasons ago and Tyrell Malacia joining last summer.

However, the Spanish left-back is still continuously linked with a move to the club and has recently revealed his admiration for the team.

The outlet does in fact claim that Barca already think a renewal is tied up.

De Jong, Araujo, Fati and Balde could all be on Ten Hag’s watch list this Thursday but will be hoping they won’t be performing at the top of their game.

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