Barcelona contract plan will kill off Man Utd hopes of signing Frenkie De Jong

Man Utd were 'hours' away from losing transfer target to Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp chat

Manchester United could be left disappointed in their plans to entice Frenkie de Jong away from Barcelona again after the midfielder indicated he is in talks over a new contract. Reports suggested Erik ten Hag still retains an interest in the reuniting with the Dutchman at Old Trafford, having initially chased him last year. But De Jong now looks further away than ever from agreeing to the join the Premier League club.

De Jong came through the Ajax academy system under Ten Hag at Ajax and was a regular in the side before he decided to make the £65million switch to the Camp Nou in 2019. Since then, he has held a key role in the first team and was integral to their title-winning campaign last year under Xavi Hernandez.

He was Ten Hag’s top target for the majority of his first summer at the club before their £70m deal fell through, with De Jong changing his mind on leaving the La Liga giants. United moved on and pushed through a late deal to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid instead.

There is unlikely to be any revival of their interest, however, as Catalan publication Sport report Barcelona sporting director Deco has met with the midfielder to discuss a renewal at the club. Discussions between his agent could be concluded by January, with De Jong likely to become one of the club’s highest earners.

READ MORE Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has three undroppables for Crystal Palace rematch[INSIGHT]

While it has been claimed the Red Devils were sizing up another attempt to lure De Jong away from Catalonia in the summer of 2024, the 26-year-old has insisted he is happy with life in Barcelona: “My contract renewal? My agent is taking care of that, but I’m happy here,” he told reporters following Barcelona’s Champions League win over Antwerp, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

He has three years remaining on his current deal after he took a huge pay cut on his £400,000-a-week contract in 2021. De Jong was one of the players to agree to an elongated contract at a lower salary to ease the club’s financial concerns after the Covid pandemic, having asked the club to reconsider selling him to the highest bidder.

“The situation is what it is. Economically, Barca is not at its best moment and they could get a lot of money for me,” he told El Periodico in August.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

DON’T MISS
Man Utd to add three stars to nine-man list of targets Ten Hag has missed out on[TRANSFERS]
Man Utd confirm Antony ‘available for selection’ after police probe[NEWS]
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag ‘has copied Guardiola’ with Garnacho decision[INSIGHT]

“Maybe the club thought it was good to sell me and have that money. But I didn’t want to leave. It was always clear to me I did not want to. That’s why I was very calm, I had decided.”

Ten Hag is unlikely to be too downhearted as he is well-stocked with midfielders, having signed Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat from Chelsea and Fiorentina this summer respectively. But with concerns over Casemiro’s longevity after some below-par displays, De Jong was seen as the perfect candidate to succeed him.

Instead, United will have to move onto other targets after De Jong made it clear he won’t be leaving Spain anytime soon. They have been linked with moves for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, as well as Bayer Leverkusen duo Edmond Tapsoba and Jeremie Frimpong, as Ten Hag looks to strengthen his squad.

Get every single Sky Sports channel with Sky Stream, Netflix and Sky TV for £46 a month.

You can enjoy all the best Sky has to offer without needing a satellite connection.

Sky Sports also offers all live events from the Premier League and the F1 and more.

If you’re already with Sky, you can get the full Sky Sports experience for £22 a month.

You get all the channels you’ll ever need for £18 a month in time for all the top matches to take place in 2023.

If you need a brand new TV and want to watch the best sporting events around on it, Sky is offering a deal where you get Sky Glass, Sky Sports, Sky TV and Netflix for just £34 a month.

Source: Read Full Article