Rio Ferdinand, a former player for Manchester United, has advised Erik ten Hag to drop his interest in Frenkie de Jong in favour of pursuing a summer transfer for Mateo Kovacic, a playmaker who is reportedly wanted by both Manchester City and Chelsea. Before the start of the upcoming season, the Red Devils are believed to be searching for at least one new central midfielder as Ten Hag looks to get his team ready for the Champions League’s return to Old Trafford later in the year.
Since last summer, when they attempted to recruit De Jong from Barcelona but were unsuccessful due to the player’s steadfast desire to stay at the Nou Camp, United has been frequently connected with a prospective De Jong move. Ferdinand thinks Kovacic would make the best backup if United can successfully sabotage his potential move to City, but Ten Hag is reported to still have a strong admiration for De Jong and has been widely predicted to renew his pursuit of the player between now and the start of the following season.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel FIVE.. “It sounds too difficult and too complicated [to sign De Jong], move on.” “I believe Kovacic has another year to live. He’s distinct from what we now have, which I like.
The 29-year-old Kovacic is apparently interested in leaving Chelsea after four years in west London and moving to the Etihad Stadium ahead of the upcoming season. Although a transfer fee has not yet been decided, Chelsea has allowed the former Real Madrid star to speak with the freshly crowned Premier League winners about personal terms, according to the Daily Mail..
Kovacic is apparently on United’s radar, although City are now leading the competition to sign him. Bayern Munich is also claimed to have showed a flimsy interest in the player during the past few weeks. But it’s unclear at this point if the Red Devils will choose to go for their other objectives in the middle of the park or try to sneak Kovacic away from his neighbourhood rivals.
According to talkSPORT.. United have already begun contract negotiations with Mason Mount, a teammate of Kovacic’s at Chelsea who has already agreed to financial conditions for a move to Old Trafford. The England star is reportedly ready to depart Chelsea after failing to reach an agreement over a contract extension with the Blues despite holding discussions with the club’s management over the past few months.
Gary Neville, a legendary member of the Red Devils, recently opined that Mount would be a wise acquisition for his old team given his capacity to flourish under Ten Hag’s tutelage. Ten Hag has a talent for developing technical players and would be well-positioned to help the Chelsea player reach his full potential at United.
Mason Mount is a coach’s player, in my opinion, and I’ve seen many of football players throughout my career who are respected more by the coaching staff for their work than by the spectators, according to Neville, who spoke to Sky Sports.
“I’m not shocked Manchester United is interested in Mason Mount. Although I don’t think it would be a top priority in this situation, Ten Hag wants midfielders. When you consider Dutch coaches, you’ll see that they prefer to control possession. Ten Hag wants De Jong and other players who can handle the ball.
“He loves Fernandes, he loves [Marcel] Sabitzer, and he loves [Christian] Eriksen. Mason Mount is a technical player who is available, thus he frequently leaves Fred and [Scott] McTominay off the team because he prefers more technical players.