Yahoo Sport 
Ruben Amorim has green light to sign one player Erik ten Hag wanted at Man United
Ruben Amorim is set to officially begin his work as Manchester United manager tomorrow - and attention has already shifted to the January transfer window.
Erik ten Hag was given his marching orders last month, and Ruud van Nistelrooy has been in charge for the interim. Amorim, who has guided Sporting CP to two Portuguese league titles during his four years in charge, is viewed as an exciting appointment for the Red Devils.
United were one of the more active teams in the last transfer window, as Ten Hag signed two of his former Ajax players in Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. He also signed Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
READ MORE: Two Manchester United players have a point to prove after what Ruud van Nistelrooy said
However, one rumoured midfield target the Reds were unable to sign is another of Ten Hag's former Ajax stars. United have been linked with Frenkie de Jong for a number of years, with a recent report from The Athletic claiming they failed in an attempt to sign the Dutchman from Barcelona in 2022 and even went as far as making a video of the player mocked up next to some of their club legends.
Some more tentative reports this summer suggested United had renewed their efforts to sign the 27-year-old, but a move never materialised as they instead moved to sign Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain. De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax back in 2019 and is in the final two years of his contract with the European giants.
Now, a fresh report from Spanish outlet El Nacional indicates Barcelona accept De Jong's departure is now inevitable as talks over a new contract have proved unfruitful. The article goes as far as saying they have now placed him on the transfer list ahead of the upcoming window, which will leave a number of the continent's top clubs on red alert.
A fee in the region of €70m has been suggested as the fee Joan Laporta and Deco will seek, which is only slightly less than the reported figure it took to sign him from Ajax five years ago. Villarreal's Alex Baena has been tipped as De Jong's successor at Barcelona and could be signed on much more favourable salary terms.
Should a move for De Jong be on the cards in January, or even next summer, it remains to be seen whether Amorim's desire to sign the midfielder is as strong as Ten Hag's. Ultimately, De Jong is a player that fits the mould required to fulfil a team of Ten Hag's identity, not necessarily Amorim's.
That being said, there is still something rather ironic about rumours emerging Ten Hag's primary target has been transfer listed so soon after his exit.
