Frenkie de Jong Next Club Odds: Man Utd Still In The Hunt To Sign Him

Transfer deadline day is upon us and betting sites are regularly refreshing their odds to reflect the latest goings-on around Europe.

Manchester United began the day by confirming the arrival of Antony from Ajax, while Manchester City have also completed a deal to sign Manuel Akanji. 

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs hoping to do more business before the market closes until January at 11pm.

The name of Frenkie de Jong has never been far away from transfer-related headlines throughout the summer, and things are no different on deadline day. 

The Netherlands international’s short-term future remains up in the air despite his stated preference to remain at Barcelona.

There is once again a new favourite in the race to sign the former Ajax midfielder, De Jong flew to London earlier this week after the Barcelona squad was given a couple of days off ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Sevilla on Saturday.

Where will De Jong be plying his trade when that match kicks off? Check out the latest odds below, followed by our analysis of an ever-evolving situation.

Barcelona Expect To Keep Hold Of De Jong Beyond Thursday

It is no secret that Barcelona have been open to offers for De Jong throughout this transfer window. 

That is not because the Dutchman is not wanted in Catalonia - Xavi Hernandez has made it clear on numerous occasions that he values De Jong highly, and the 25-year-old has featured in three of Barcelona’s La Liga matches so far this term.

However, only one of those appearances came from the start of the match, underlining that De Jong is not quite as integral as he was expected to be at this stage of his career. 

So, while Barcelona are odds-on at 1/10 with football betting sites to retain the Dutchman, we cannot entirely rule out a departure - particularly as the club needs to balance the books after a heavy summer of spending.

Manchester United Back In Pole Position Should Midfielder Leave

Having slipped down the betting earlier this week, Manchester United (3/1 with Unibet) are now back at the front of the queue for De Jong. 

This long-running saga will finally reach a conclusion one way or another on Thursday, September 1, with the Red Devils hoping to finally tie up a deal for a player for whom they had an offer accepted way back in June.

However, it is unclear whether United would still be willing to fork out more than £60m on De Jong given that they have already spent close to £230m on new additions, including former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro and Antony from Ajax, this summer.

Bayern Munich Are Interesting Outsiders

Whereas De Jong has never seemed particularly keen on a spell in the Premier League, he is thought to be much more open to the prospect of playing for Bayern Munich. 

Reports in Spain state that he believes the Bundesliga would be a better fit for his style of play, while a move to the Allianz Arena would see him reunited with former Ajax team-mate Matthijs de Ligt.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side are therefore interesting outsiders at 10/1, but it would be very un-Bayernlike for the German champions to launch a late swoop for a player who has been available for months now. Bayern’s squad for the first half of the season is set.

Chelsea And Liverpool Both Seem To Have Backed Away

Chelsea and Liverpool’s hopes of landing De Jong are fading fast, with betting apps now pricing the pair at 12/1 apiece. 

Liverpool are set to complete the signing of Arthur Melo from Juventus on a season-long loan; the Brazil international will provide the cover in midfield that Jurgen Klopp was looking to secure before the deadline.

Chelsea are now focusing their attention on Edson Alvarez of Ajax. But the Dutch giants have lost several key players already this summer - including the aforementioned Antony and Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United - so they could dig in their heels and refuse to sell the Mexican. 

If that is the case, do not rule out Chelsea launching a last-ditch attempt to acquire De Jong.

Man City Have Never Appeared Interested In The Dutchman

In many ways De Jong looks like the perfect fit for a team managed by Pep Guardiola. Brought up in the Ajax traditions, the Dutchman is an excellent passer with an expert appreciation of space. 

Given he has been available for transfer since the start of the summer, it is somewhat surprising that Manchester City never registered an interest.

It is not like the Premier League champions were not in the market for an engine-room operator, but they chose to recruit Kalvin Phillips as Fernandinho’s de facto replacement. 

City are currently priced at 25/1 with BetVictor to land De Jong, but even those odds are probably too short given their reluctance to insert themselves into this particular saga.