Man Utd retain hope of De Jong capture as Milan labour over £30,000-a-week contract talks

Posted Thursday, May 28, 2015 by Express.co.uk

Manchester United will bid for Nigel De Jong this summer knowing they must offer the Milan midfielder in excess of £30,000 a week.

Nigel De Jong (right) may leave Milan in the summer

That is according to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, who claim the Dutchman is holding out for a £1.42million annual salary at the San Siro and is willing to leave if his demands aren't met.

De Jong, 30, is known to be on United manager Louis van Gaal's radar after the pair worked with each other in the Netherlands set-up at the World Cup last summer.

His salary at Milan is thought to be comparatively small to what he could earn in the Premier League, with increasing reports linking him with a move back to England.

The defensive midfielder won the Premier League with Manchester City back in 2011 before heading off to Milan a year later.

And, with Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari reportedly set to leave Milan, Tuttosport claim De Jong is in a position of negotiating power.

As for United, manager Van Gaal has already promised fans he will sign a new midfielder this summer, having added another Dutchman - Memphis Depay of PSV - to the ranks.