Spanish rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona could reportedly go to war over one of their transfer targets, with Los Blancos ready to pay €80 million for the player.
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The Catalan giants have long been linked with Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and reportedly had a €30 million (R496 million) bid rejected for the 21-year-old in the latest transfer window.
However, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Real have joined the race for De Jong and are willing to pay €80 million (R1.3 billion) in order to beat their Spanish rivals to the player
"I can neither confirm nor deny this," the player's agent, Ali Dursun, recently told De Telegraaf.
"You must ask Marc Overmars – I send all interested clubs his way."
Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars has confirmed that Barcelona did submit an offer for De Jong in the recent window, but it did not meet the Dutch side's asking price.
"Barca did not value (De Jong), their offer did not correspond with Frenkie's qualities," the former Arsenal and Blaugrana star said, as quoted by ESPN.
"Barcelona can try again for Frenkie in January if they want, but we will not sell any players mid-season."
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Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich are reportedly also monitoring the situation around the Dutch midfielder, who made his senior Netherlands debut in September.
Real or Barca – which club do you think needs a commanding midfielder more? Have your say in the comments section below.