How close is Frenkie de Jong’s transfer to Man Utd?
Cameron Smith
- 27 Jun 2022 19:17 BST
- 3 min read
Frenkie de Jong is expected to leave Barcelona this summer and join former Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Ten Hag and De Jong formed an impressive relationship during their time at the Eredivisie giants and upon joining Man Utd, Ten Hag made it clear he wanted to sign the midfielder at Old Trafford.
De Jong has since been the priority, with Man Utd losing a host of midfielders to free transfers this summer as Ten Hag looks to rebuild the squad.
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Talks have been ongoing with Barcelona for some time, with Man Utd trying to lower the asking price, which is understandably high given the investment the Blaugrana made when they purchased De Jong from Ajax in 2019.
The player himself has stressed multiple times that he's happy at Barcelona and doesn't want to leave the club, but that decision looks to have been taken out of his hands due to Barca's financial issues.
They were forced to let Lionel Messi leave last summer and have resorted to free transfer signings in order to avoid paying a fee for players. However, with Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen to arrive on free deals this summer, and Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde high on the wish-list, De Jong is the one who's being sacrificed to make it happen.
De Jong to Man Utd
Sport have reported that Man Utd are willing to meet Barcelona's reported asking price of €80 million, while Fabrizio Romano has reported that after a verbal bid of €65m, Barcelona now want €85m for the player.
He believes that an agreement is approaching as the two clubs are in talks over a deal that will reach €85m if add-on clauses are met.
De Jong is expected to make the move to Old Trafford and a date of the deal has now been set.
Sport have reported that Man Utd and Barcelona want the deal finalised by 30 June so the Spanish giants can remove his salary from their accounts before the new season begins in July.
They understand De Jong is keen to join Ten Hag despite resistance at first due to Barcelona's desire to sell him this summer.
