Manchester United’s Frenkie de Jong saga continues, with the club looking no closer to sealing the deal, despite having reportedly agreed a fee with Barcelona.
Cadena Ser explain the midfielder has informed his teammates he is not going to move away from the Catalan club and has also told the Red Devils he will not join them this summer. This slant has been repeatedly pushed forward in the Spanish press.
A different version is highlighted in the Dutch media. De Telegraaf’s Marcel van der Kraan covers the 25-year-old’s situation and discusses Manchester United’s interest in him.
The Netherlands international would prefer to continue with the Blaugrana, but after almost everyone at the club talked about the need to get rid of him for ‘economic’ reasons, he’s aware an exit may be the solution.
Barca ‘bullying’ the Dutchman has moved into the sporting side, say De Telegraaf, after Xavi Hernández made him operate as a centre-back.
Manchester United would like to sign De Jong and have rolled out a ‘red carpet’ for him, the player is the priority target for Erik ten Hag. The journalist also addresses claims from Spain that the player has refused to join the Premier League side.
Van de Kraan points out an interesting observation, that a club asks the player, via his agent, whether he is interested in the move, before sending an offer to his current club. Ten Hag’s side are an easy way out for De Jong, but he’s refusing to leave until Barcelona pay his deferred wages of around €19m.
He states Barca president Joan Laporta is playing a ‘dirty game’. The chief has publicly insisted De Jong will not be sold, while he does the exact opposite behind the scenes, which he also did with the club’s former manager, Ronald Koeman.
There’s clearly some Dutch annoyance building over his tactics.
Xavi’s side cannot force De Jong to leave and then withhold his salary. If there is a legal dispute, then it is likely the player will end up winning in the end.
“But we are not there yet. Barcelona wants to force Frenkie to cooperate ‘voluntarily’ with pressure. His agent Ali Dursun, who has frankly said that a new club is ready for his player, has already said that Laporta must first fulfil all obligations,” says Van der Kraan.
Amid all the chaos in the Spanish media, De Telegraaf’s report suggests De Jong is open to joining Manchester United, provided Barca sort out the issues concerning his wages.
