Barcelona have held direct meetings with the agent of Manchester United target – Romano

As Barcelona continue their search for a new right-back this summer, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that they have their sights on Bayer Leverkusen defender and Manchester United target Jeremie Frimpong.

It is no secret that the right-back position has become a major headache for Barcelona. While Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo have done a solid job more often than not, it is apparent that they are not entirely comfortable playing in the makeshift position.

So, Xavi has made it a point to ask the club for the signing of a new right-back this summer. Names like Juan Foyth and Joao Cancelo have been doing the rounds but could be financially unfeasible for the Blaugrana.

It has seemingly forced them to look at Frimpong as an option, with the Dutchman also on the radars of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

As per the update from Romano, Manchester United have been pursuing the 22-year-old right-back since October last year and have held talks with his agent Jeffrey Lemmert over a move.

However, they are not alone as Barcelona too are understood to have held direct meetings with Frimpong’s representative as they explore the possibility of a swoop for the former Celtic ace.

Bayern Munich, for their part, have also had discussions with the right-back’s camp but their priority, at this point, is to first decide whether they will sign Cancelo permanently or not.

Frimpong joined Bayer Leverkusen in January 2021 and has grown into a regular in the starting XI. This season, the Dutch ace has produced a tally of eight goals and nine assists from 36 games in all competitions, thriving especially when deployed as a wing-back.

Frimpong’s contract with the Bundesliga outfit runs until the summer of 2025. That, coupled with interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich, could see Leverkusen demand a significant fee for the youngster’s services.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona’s interest in the 22-year-old leads to something significant, especially with the first round of talks already being held with his agents.