Manchester United ‘will wait until the LAST DAY of the transfer window to sign Frenkie de Jong’ with stubborn Erik ten Hag having no intention of moving on from his £71.5m top target – despite the Dutchman wanting to stay at Barcelona
- Manchester United are ready to hold their nerve and wait to sign Frenkie de Jong
- Erik ten Hag is reportedly willing to wait until the last day of the transfer window
- Dutch Midfielder De Jong is new United boss Ten Hag’s top target this summer
- The 25-year-old is thought to be reluctant to leave Barcelona, who want the sale
- De Jong has travelled to Miami for the Spanish side’s pre-season tour of the US
Manchester United are ready to wait until the final day of the summer transfer window to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
The Dutch star is new United manager Erik ten Hag’s top target as he looks to overhaul his squad after a hugely disappointing season but is publicly reluctant to move to Old Trafford.
And as reported by the Mirror, Ten Hag, 52, is not giving up and is willing to hold out until the last second to sign gifted central midfielder De Jong, who was his ‘favourite player’ while managing at former club Ajax.
Man United ‘are ready to wait until the final day of the transfer window to sign Frenkie de Jong’
He has said he wants to stay at the Nou Camp, and flew to Miami to join Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the US – but reports state the central midfielder, 25, is privately willing to join United
De Jong is embroiled in a contract stand-off with the cash-strapped Spanish giants, who owe him more than £17million in deferred wages, delaying the potential transfer to United.
He has openly stated he wants to stay at the Nou Camp, and has flown to Miami to participate in Barca’s pre-season tour of the US – but the Mirror state sources close to the player have said he is in regular contact with Ten Hag and is happy to join United.
De Jong’s infamously bullish agent Ali Dursan is thought to believe that his client publicly revealing his wish to sign for the Red Devils would weaken their negotiating position as they look to reclaim the money owed to them by the club.
So United have continued their pursuit. Club chiefs Richard Arnold and John Murtough have been in Spain to thrash out a deal with Barca sporting director Jordi Cruyff, director of football Mateu Alemany and sports vice-president Rafa Yuste.
Dutch star De Jong is the top transfer target for new United manager Erik ten Hag (pictured)
The two sides have agreed a fee of £63m up front, potentially rising to £71m with add-ons, with Xavi’s team desperate to recoup the money and get the Dutchman’s £320,000-a-week wages off their books to abide with Financial Fair Play rules.
Barcelona have already presented four new players this summer, including the signing of Brazilian Raphinha from Leeds, agreeing the £42.5m arrival of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich on Saturday.
But to register the new acquisitions with LaLiga they must slash their €560m (£477m) wage bill. De Jong’s contract entitles him to €20m (£17m) next season and the club need him to move on.
Although Ten Hag does not want signing the 25-year-old to turn into a summer-long saga, he understands the wages issue is outside their control and has told the club to continue pushing for the move.
