From the moment Erik Ten Hag was announced as Manchester United manager in April 2022, there have been transfer links to Frenkie De Jong.

To be fair, almost every Dutch international or Ajax player of any clear quality was tipped as a potential United target in those days - yet the De Jong pursuit still lingers.

This week United will get a close-up of the Barcelona midfielder when they travel to Camp Nou in the Europa League and it comes at a very telling moment in Ten Hag’s campaign. The Reds go into the game without the quality of Christian Eriksen (injured) and Marcel Sabitzer (suspended). The middle of the park has been a cause for concern when their best players - Casemiro, recently - are not around and it is with all this in mind that another push for De Jong will be looked at when we get to the next transfer window.

The case is very strong for why De Jong would improve the United set-up: He is great at progressing the ball from deep positions, even under intense pressure. He very rarely gives the ball away. And he has a reading of the game that allows him to make decisions that sets him apart from almost any other in his position.

The additions of Eriksen, Casemiro and Sabitzer have helped United recover from flaws in the side that were consistently laid bare under previous seasons when Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba could be exposed. Yet around United the feeling is that the puzzle is not yet complete. While things have improved, the ultimate candidate to step in as United’s long-term builder in the centre of the park has not yet been captured.

The issue of deferred wages combined with a desire to remain at Barca meant a deal could not be brokered last year and since then De Jong has made himself a consistent part of Xavi’s starting XI. His form has been superb recently as the Catalans have imposed themselves as leaders of La Liga.

Publicly the club are adamant there is not a deal to be done. Xavi certainly will be against losing him, given the rise in his performance levels. Yet a big, realistic offer from United will tell us how the club would react to a genuine chance to cash in.

The first time United made an approach for De Jong it was for a fee of around £51million and Barca did not entertain the idea. In part because that would have represented a loss on a player they signed from Ajax for an initial £65million three years previously but also because they were figuring out how to help Xavi wrestle back power in Spain’s top league.

Many changes have been made to the squad over the past year yet financial issues still remain. A report in Mundo Deportivo has suggested Barcelona need to trim their wage bill significantly while players like Ansu Fati, Franck Kessie, Ferran Torres and Sergio Busquets have been talked about as having uncertain long-term future at Barca.

One player that could heavily change the financial outlook would be De Jong, should he be sold. And sources close to Old Trafford indicate that if United do get a mega summer transfer kitty, the signing of De Jong would actually be seen as a more likely first target for a premium range purchase than a top-tier No.9.

United do crave that elite finisher, but still not quite as much as they would love De Jong. There is a good chance they test the water on such a deal. First though, they must stop the Dutchman from ending their current European challenge.

De Jong pulls the strings in this Barca team and while this is a mouthwatering tie, it could be that the reasons for a near year-long chase for him are played out in public on Thursday.