Manchester United seem prepared to concede defeat in their pursuit of Barcelona’s ace midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The Red Devils have been pursuing his signature all summer. Erik Ten Hag seems to have identified the Netherlands international as his primary target.
As United shifts to a more possession style of play, Ten Hag would be looking to alter his current midfield. Thus, he likely believes that De Jong has the suitable attributes to suit this new style of play and desires to link up with him.
Reports said that Barcelona and United had agreed on a fee of above £70m last month. However, United have reportedly become frustrated by the delay in the proposed deal.
Frenkie de Jong’s Angle: Owed wages and the Champions League
De Jong is reportedly content at Camp Nou and has no desire to leave. The midfielder is keen to play in the Champions League, and United cannot provide that this season.
De Jong may end up in the Premier League anyway. Chelsea- who are in fact, in the Champions League- have sparked an interest in the Dutch midfielder and have emerged as another possible destination. Reportedly, the Blues are very close to landing a deal for de Jong. They may be trying to get Barcelona to lower their fee, however.
Barcelona may be eager to offload the Dutchman this summer, to balance the books and handle their well-documented financial problems. However, club president Joan Laporta insisted that they want de Jong to stay, with him telling reporters:
“Frenkie de Jong is a Barca player of great quality and we want him to stay. With him and his teammates, we have a very powerful midfield. He has offers, but we want him to stay and he wants to stay too.”
De Jong is reportedly owed over £17m by the Catalan club in deferred wages. The player seems reluctant to leave until that matter is resolved, which would act as a hurdle to any club trying to sign him.
With signing De Jong unlikely, Manchester United seems to have identified Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot as a possible alternative. If the Frenchman signs for United, he would be Ten Hag’s fourth signing after Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, and Lisandro Martinez.
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