Despite Barcelona‘s repeated assurances that Frenkie de Jong will remain where he is, sources indicate that Man Utd is still planning to sign him next summer.
Following rumors that Barcelona and Manchester United had at one time reached an agreement on a fee in principle, the Red Devils invested a significant amount of last summer pursuing the Dutchman in an endeavor that ultimately failed.
De Jong was reportedly never interested in moving to Old Trafford, and rumors that the Catalan giants owed him £17 million further complicated matters.
Man Utd then turned their attention to other targets, with Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot appearing to be very close to a transfer at one stage, before finally paying £70 million for Casemiro.
Given that Erik ten Hag is well-known to be a great fan of the midfielder having working with him at Ajax, there has been conjecture that Man Utd is still interested in De Jong.
De Jong is “one of the top players” at the La Liga team, according to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who last week said that he “never intended” to sell him.
In midfield, I’ve never wanted to let go of Frenkie since he’s one of our finest players, Laporta told reporters. He is a young player with one of the best talents on the club.
Man Utd is ‘100% certain that they will have possibilities to sign him this summer,’ according to Spanish publication Sport, who are once more promoting a prospective transfer.
According to them, De Jong is United’s “obsession,” and the Red Devils think Barcelona is “acting” to boost De Jong’s value in advance of the upcoming two transfer windows.
According to prior reports, Man Utd is “clear that De Jong himself will have the last word” over any prospective transfer, but Sport claims the Premier League club has nonetheless “opened the door” to a trade.
As they attempt to reduce their wage budget in the hopes that De Jong will accept a pay cut, Barcelona does still “expect a gesture from the player before the end of the season.”
Although the Catalan behemoths appear to have made it obvious that they “do not plan to sell De Jong,” Man Utd appears to view this as a “negotiating strategy.”
