Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong is fully aware of their interest in him and had "direct contact" with Erik ten Hag earlier this month, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Dutchman has quickly emerged as one of Ten Hag's top targets, with the United boss desperate to reunite with the midfielder at Old Trafford.

What's the latest news involving De Jong?

After missing out on Darwin Nunez, The Athletic believe the 25-year-old has become United's 'main focus' in the window as Ten Hag looks to build a squad capable of improving on their sixth-place finish last season.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

The report adds that United have been set an £68m asking-price by Barcelona for the midfielder, who won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup under Ten Hag at Ajax in 2018-2019.

Romano added on Friday that the Red Devils saw an official bid knocked back, although the deal remains on the table, with his £400,000 per-week wages an issue for Barcelona.

Furthermore, the Guardian believe that United are confident the Spanish giants will lower their asking price with the Nou Camp outfit potentially needing to sell to ease their financial problems.

What did Romano say about De Jong?

Romano reckons that despite the Netherlands international not deciding over his future, he's waiting to see how talks progress between the clubs.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "At the moment, the player has given no indication to anyone, he's just waiting to see what happens with Manchester United and Barcelona.

"Frenkie knows that Ten Hag is pushing, and he had some direct contact with Erik ten Hag two weeks ago. So, he has no doubts on the interest from Manchester United, he knows about it, but he hasn't decided on anything, he's waiting on the clubs to decide."

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Will United eventually get their man?

Despite a gap in how much United are willing to pay and what Barcelona are demanding, it appears there's a very good chance this deal eventually gets done.

Barcelona must raise funds to help their off-the-field issues and although they're clearly trying to bank as much money as possible, common sense should eventually prevail and both clubs will hopefully get what they want.

Ten Hag has already seen first-hand what De Jong can do playing under his guidance, and while he might need time to adapt to English football, bringing him to Old Trafford would represent a strong start to the window.