Barcelona has reached an agreement with Manchester United for the potential transfer of Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who would still need to approve the move, a person at the Spanish club with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday. United has agreed to pay Barcelona 75 million euros ($75 million) plus another potential 10 million euros in variables for the 25-year-old De Jong, according to a club official who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the deal. Read: Barcelona reaches deal to sign Raphinha; Dembélé staying De Jong, who is under contact with Barcelona through June 2026, would still need to agree to the transfer to the English Premier League side. So far, he is reportedly reluctant to leave Camp Nou. But the Barcelona official with knowledge of the agreement said coach Xavi Hernández has told De Jong that he will not be a key part of his squad. Barcelona would prefer for a definite deal to be reached immediately before the team leaves on Saturday for a preseason tour in the United States. Barcelona has been working to reduce its payroll as it seeks to reduce its debt. De Jong’s salary, the club official said, was no longer in line with its new financial priorities. De Jong has made 140 appearances, mostly as a regular starter, since Barcelona bought him from Ajax in 2019 for 75 million euros (then $85.5 million).

Some talking points in the Champions League heading into the fifth round of group games: CARRICK IN CHARGE One of English soccer's best and possibly most underappreciated midfielders in recent years, Michael Carrick was known for his calmness, quiet authority and vision on the field. He'll need all of those attributes now he has been thrust into one of the world's biggest coaching jobs pretty much from out of nowhere. Carrick, who only started his coaching career in 2018 and has never held a senior position, was named as United's caretaker manager following the firing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday. In place until United finds another coach for the rest of the season, Carrick starts his new role with a crucial match away to Villarreal on Tuesday as the teams look to seal qualification to the knockout stage. They are both on seven points in Group F, two points clear of Atalanta with two games left. Carrick will need to pick up a beleaguered United team that lost 4-1 at Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, the latest in a string of dreadful results that ultimately cost Solskjaer his job. Read:PSG vs Nantes: Messi stole the spotlight scoring maiden league goal for Paris Saint-Germain XAVI BOOST Barcelona enters its crucial home match in Group E against Benfica on Tuesday boosted by the arrival of former great Xavi Hernández as its new coach. It will be his second match in charge after a league win in the Barcelona derby against Espanyol on Saturday, a result that ended a four-game winless streak in the league. The Catalan club started its Champions League campaign with consecutive 3-0 losses to Bayern Munich and Benfica, but a win against the Portuguese side will allow it to clinch a spot in the knockout stage and avoid its first elimination in the group stage in nearly two decades. HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE A win for Paris Saint-Germain in its heavyweight meeting at Manchester City on Wednesday would secure the French team a place in the last 16. Its away form has been concerning, though. In contrast to winning every game at its Parc des Princes home this season, PSG has drawn away to Club Brugge and Leipzig in the Champions League and lost at Rennes in the French league. With Lionel Messi fit, PSG will always have a great chance of victory and the Argentina star will be boosted by scoring his first goal in Ligue 1 in the win over Nantes on Saturday. Messi already has three goals in the Champions League — including one in the home win over City. City is on nine points, one more than PSG, in Group A. Third-place Brugge is a further four points back. Read:Independence Cup football likely to begin Nov 27 QUARANTINED STARS Bayern Munich is already through to the next round with a perfect four wins from four games. So it’s likely coach Julian Nagelsmann would have opted to give some key players a rest at Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday for their penultimate game in Group E. Kyiv, bottom of the group with one point, needs a win and favor from Benfica against Barcelona to stay in contention. Bayern’s buildup has been overshadowed by the coronavirus with five reportedly unvaccinated players – Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Michael Cuisance – all in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who has COVID-19. Niklas Süle and Josip Stanišić are also in isolation after testing positive for the disease. ATALANTA RISING A six-match unbeaten run in Serie A. A five-goal outburst at the weekend. Atalanta is on the upswing entering a potentially decisive visit to last-place Young Boys in Group F on Tuesday. “We’re experiencing a good moment,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said after a 5-2 win over Spezia on Saturday that included two goals from Mario Pasalic. “The team is improving. It has desire and is determined.” Atalanta is third in its group, two points behind Villarreal and Manchester United.