What is Man Utd’s deadline to sign Frenkie de Jong?
FT Desk
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United have set a deadline of this Friday, July 15, to sign Frenkie de Jong or else they will pull out of the deal.
That is according to Talksport, who claim that United are starting to get irritated at De Jong’s reluctance to agree to a deal.
Man Utd and Barcelona have been in negotiations for the Dutch midfielder for a number of weeks now, with new Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag making De Jong his priority signing of the summer transfer window.
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A transfer fee that could reach €85 million is already understood to have been agreed between the clubs, with Barcelona desperate to sell De Jong in order to fund new signings.
However, De Jong himself has been very reluctant to leave Barcelona for Man Utd for a number of reasons.
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Why De Jong is unsure about Man Utd transfer
Firstly, he considers Barcelona his dream club and wants to prove he can be a success there after three rather underwhelming years since signing from Ajax.
Secondly, he is not convinced by the sporting project at Man Utd given the club is not in the Champions League and has gone over five years without winning a trophy.
And, finally, De Jong is owed a substantial amount of money by Barcelona in wages he agreed to defer during the Coronavirus pandemic. The 25-year-old is not prepared to just write this off.
Man Utd directors Richard Arnold and John Murtough spent Monday negotiating with Barcelona over De Jong.
But Talksport claim that they have now set a deadline of this Friday to sign De Jong. If the deal is not completed by then, they will move onto other targets.
It has been a frustrating transfer window for Man Utd so far as they have only signed one player in Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia, while Cristiano Ronaldo is reported to have asked to leave.
