Deal Close as £64m Dutch superstar open to Man Utd transfer, already in talks with Ten Hag – report
According to The Mirror, Barcelona midfielder, Frenkie de Jong is in daily contact with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag ahead of a prospective summer move.
The Red Devils have completed a deal with Barcelona for De Jong worth €75 million (£64 million), but the 25-year-old is yet to finalize personal terms with the Premier League club.
It has been believed that he wishes to remain at Barcelona, but The Mirror has a different take on the situation, saying that the star is eager to move to Old Trafford.
De Jong has been in ‘continuous conversation’ with Ten Hag. Still, his public attitude is that he will remain with Barcelona until his outstanding delayed wages of about £17.1m are cleared.
Man United has lately attempted to negotiate a lower transfer fee in order to pay his salaries, but the alternative was not viable because it would violate UEFA and FIFA’s Code of Practice.
As a result, the Red Devils must wait for Barcelona to settle him. Ten Hag appears content to wait for things to happen rather than encouraging the hierarchy to consider alternatives.
Ten Hag’s top midfield target since taking over as manager of United is De Jong, in our opinion. Given his superb attributes from the center of the park, this is hardly surprising.
From midfield, the Netherlands international has excellent awareness and ball control. He also dribbles well and has flair for picking out great passes in the closing third.
He would be a significant upgrade over Scott McTominay and Fred, who have started in midfield for United in preseason games against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory.
As things stand, De Jong has yet to give his approval for the move, but we anticipate development in the coming weeks as Barcelona has to reduce their pay cost in order to acquire new players.
They have already signed Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, and Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski is expected to arrive from Bayern Munich within the next 24 to 48 hours.
LaLiga has yet to provide authorization for any of the recent signings to be registered for the 2022/23 season. Barcelona may be forced to part ways with at least one high-profile player in the coming weeks.
De Jong, who earns around £320,000 weekly, appears to be the most likely to be replaced. Barcelona could work out a repayment schedule for his wages so that he can join United.
