Manchester United are highly unlikely to announce Frenkie de Jong and Tyrell Malacia transfers at the same time, according to reports. Agreements with Feyenoord and Barcelona have been reached as John Murtough looks to back Erik ten Hag. And it seems to be only a matter of time before the duo both arrive.
Manchester United have spent all summer chasing De Jong.
And they’ve made progress on a deal over the last 24 hours, with the Red Devils agreeing to pay an initial £56million plus add-ons in order to land the Barcelona star.
United have also moved to gazump Lyon for Malacia, with the left-back poised to join from Feyenoord.
However, Express Sport understands the Red Devils are highly unlikely to announce the pair at the same time.
United usually like to announce deals one by one. They did that on deadline day in 2020, confirming the arrival of Edinson Cavani first before announcing Facundo Pellistri later in the day.
Before the duo, they also confirmed the arrival of Alex Telles from Porto – having been on the lookout for a new full-back all summer.
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Part of the reason for this is social media.
United, by announcing one deal at a time, are able to plug everything possible on the individual before moving onto the next.
Normally, when they confirm the signing of a player, they include links to jerseys and merchandise related to them.
And this is part of the reason why United are unlikely to announce the pair together, with separate announcements instead expected.
It takes time, too, to gather quotes from the likes of Murtough, Ten Hag and Richard Arnold given their busy day-to-day schedules.
And United, by delaying time until the next announcement, are able to build up social media excitement – which also leads to social media hype.
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That means fans tweeting furiously demanding more, giving United a financial boost in the process.
De Jong is likely to be the first arrival, with the Red Devils still confident the 25-year-old will be strutting his stuff at Old Trafford next term.
However, reports in Catalonia have thrown a spanner into the works by insisting the midfielder is having doubts about moving to the fallen Premier League giants.
That could, therefore, slow United down when it comes to confirming the arrival of De Jong.
And it’s possible that Malacia will become the first signing of the Ten Hag era instead.
As mentioned above, the Netherlands international had been in Lyon’s sights as they prepare to battle Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title next term.
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But United have stolen a march on Lyon by agreeing a fee with Feyenoord, stealing the 22-year-old from under their noses.
United have, finally, made progress with new signings after a slow start to the summer.
And, after De Jong and Malacia, there are three more players they’d like to add to their squad before the transfer window slams shut.
Antony and Lisandro Martinez are both in Ten Hag’s sights, despite the duo also attracting interest from Tottenham and Arsenal respectively.
And they’re eyeing Christian Eriksen, too, with the Denmark international yet to make a final decision on his future amid an offer from Brentford.
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Regarding De Jong, meanwhile, Wes Brown has told Express Sport that the 25-year-old would be a good signing for United to make.
“Yeah I do, I think he’s a quality player who is good on the ball,” he said when asked if United required the Barcelona star.
“He’s not shy with the ball and we obviously know we’ve had a lot of players leave, especially midfielders in general.
“Whether they were getting to the end, a bit older, but there’s been quite a lot gone.
“So we’re pretty thin there. Midfield is definitely a signing that we need and De Jong, I think, would fit the bill very nicely.”
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