Manchester United remain locked in talks to sign Frenkie de Jong but are refusing to meet Barcelona’s £86m asking price, Manchester Evening News report.
The Netherlands international has been identified as the priority midfield target for United, and it was recently reported that the player has been ‘convinced‘ to join the club. The M.E.N support that claim after saying de Jong is open to moving to Old Trafford despite United not being able to offer Champions League football.
However, Manchester United still need to finalise a suitable fee with the Blaugrana. Manchester Evening News now claims Man Utd remain locked in talks with Barca counterparts but the clubs are still far apart in their transfer valuations.
The Red Devils are quite clear that they won’t be held to ransom in their rebuild, and could walk away from a potential deal with Barcelona eyeing demanding £86m – a fee United are refusing to pay.
The news outlet says Man Utd are now exploring other options and have opened preliminary talks with alternative targets in-case they are unable to agree terms for de Jong.
Our view:
New United manager Erik ten Hag is prioritising a move for De Jong. There are no surprises, considering he was a key player under him at former club Ajax.
The 25-year-old was a regular from the number six role, and his excellent distribution, ball control and dribbling ability caught the eye of Europe’s elite clubs.
Barcelona managed to secure an early deal for him, but has been inconsistent for the Catalans, playing in a more central midfield role with Sergi Busquets operating behind.
At United, he would get the opportunity to play in his preferred position. De Jong has given the green light for the move, but a transfer fee remains to be finalised.
Barcelona have been fancied to sell De Jong amid their financial concerns, but they appear intent of getting the highest price for him during this summer’s transfer window.
This obviously means that they could delay his departure to attract bids from Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who are also long-term admirers.
United would not want to get into such a situation. They may seek to lower the final fee with add-ons, but could walk away if the Blaugrana are reluctant to negotiate.
Ten Hag will be handed a big budget this summer, but there are plenty of other areas to bolster including the centre-forward, centre-back and right-back positions.
