Bayern Munich Shortlist Manchester City Target Frenkie De Jong Ahead of Summer Makeover
Bayern Munich will rival Manchester City in the race to sign Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the summer transfer window.
The Netherlands international has already ruled out a move away from Amsterdam next month, insisting that he wants to see out the remainder of the season with the club - a path which in-demand defender Matthijs de Ligt is also expected to take.
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City have been keeping tabs on de Jong for some time, and he became Pep Guardiola's top midfield target after Jorginho snubbed a move to the Etihad in favour of following Maurizio Sarri from S.S.C. Napoli to Chelsea.
The Daily Mail claim that City will now have to go toe to toe with Bayern Munich, however, as the Bavarians look to freshen up their squad in an attempt to remain at the top of the footballing pyramid in Germany.
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have previously been linked with a move for the Dutch midfielder, although the former are focusing their efforts on signing his teammate De Ligt, while the French side only appear to be the butt of speculation.
De Jong, unlike most of the young players coming through at Ajax, isn't a product of the club's famed youth academy. The 21-year-old was actually born closer to Rotterdam and grew up working through the ranks at Willem II in Tilburg.
The midfielder joined Ajax in 2015, but he had to wait until the following year before making his debut for the club - which ironically came against his former side, Willem II.
Two months later, De Jong played in the Europa League with Ajax in what was his first taste of European football, but he had to wait until 2017 before being awarded an appearance in the league against Sparta Rotterdam.
De Jong didn't start a match in the Eredivisie until the final day of the 2016/17 season, which came after scoring his first league goal against Go Ahead Eagles a week earlier.
