Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong has proven to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer. The Barcelona midfielder had looked destined to join the Red Devils after the two clubs agreed a financial package for a deal last month, but since then, various reports have suggested that the Dutchman would prefer to stay in Catalonia.

And the last thing club chiefs will want is a repeat of the Cesc Fabregas debacle of 2013. That summer, David Moyes came within a whisker of landing the former Arsenal playmaker, only to see the deal slip through his fingers, and for Marouane Fellaini to be signed as an alternative.

With that in mind, we’ve picked out other options that United could move for if they do fail in their efforts to sign De Jong in the coming weeks...
Adrien Rabiot
The most likely candidate given the flurry of speculation that has surrounded the Frenchman in recent days. A deal is seemingly edging closer to completion, with meetings between United and the player’s representatives scheduled for Friday, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Another player who has been linked in recent days, the Lazio star has been a long-term target of United’s for quite some time at this stage. A poweful presence in the centre of the park, the general consensus appears to be that the Serbian international would be an improvement on the options currently at Ten Hag’s disposal.
Ruben Neves
It’s almost a little baffling that Neves hasn’t earned himself a move to one of the Premier League’s top clubs already. Wolves have done well to hang on to their star man thus far, but the likes of United and Arsenal have both been linked in the not-too-distant past.