Chelsea or no one? Frenkie de Jong tells Man Utd to withdraw transfer bid
FT Desk
- Updated: 27 Jul 2022 19:39 BST
- 3 min read
Frenkie de Jong has told Erik ten Hag to withdraw his transfer bid for him as the midfielder has no interest in joining Manchester United.
That is according to Spanish radio station Cadena COPE, which reports that De Jong has spoken to Man Utd manager Ten Hag personally to inform him.
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Man Utd and Barcelona have been in negotiations for the best part of three months, with the Blaugrana desperate to sell the Dutchman in order to raise money to buy more players.
The two teams have already agreed a transfer fee that could reach around €85m.
However, De Jong is reluctant to move to Man Utd, both for financial and sporting reasons.
Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, and De Jong wishes to play in Europe’s biggest club competition.
He is also unsure whether moving to a club that has not won the league for almost a decade – or any trophies at all for five years – would be a good career decision.
De Jong rejects Man Utd
COPE reports that De Jong has told Ten Hag it is impossible to play for Man Utd given these circumstances.
However, it is also reported that De Jong would be interested in joining Chelsea if they are to table a bid this summer.
The Blues will potentially move for a midfielder but it is believed they are not prepared to pay what Man Utd are for De Jong.
Could Chelsea sign De Jong?
Nevertheless, even if Chelsea are, there is no guarantee that De Jong will accept because of the financial standoff the 25-year-old has with Barcelona.
De Jong is owed a whopping €28 million by Barcelona in deferred wages.
De Jong agreed to defer a large portion of his salary during the Coronavirus pandemic in order to help the club as they were badly struggling financially, racking up debts of €1.3 billion.
He did this on the understanding that Barcelona would pay him the deferred money during the rest of his contract, which expires in 2026.
Instead, Barcelona believe that Manchester United should pay him the deferred wages.
Man Utd have made it clear that they have no intention of paying off Barcelona’s debts to De Jong.
Barcelona have also tried to pressure De Jong into accepting a move to Man Utd by telling him he will have to accept another paycut – in addition to not getting his owed money – if he stays.
