Manchester United’s hopes of signing midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer have been dealt a major blow
Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtuj left Barcelona on Wednesday after several days of trying to strike a deal to sign the Dutch star
Although an agreement was reached with the club on Monday, they have not finished signing
Manchester United already had an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona of £56.2m with reports that the two clubs agreed last week to a deal worth £72m in variants
However, no deal has been formalized as De Jong has yet to agree the terms of the transfer, although Manchester United will not waive the deal and will continue to pressure the player for the remainder of the summer window
New Manchester United boss Eric Ten Hag made a phone call to convince the player he should join his Old Trafford project – having shared a solid working relationship during their time together at Ajax – and the club will continue to pursue the move, with De Jong remaining target number one. by Tin Hag
It has been clarified that Tin Hag is still in dialogue with the midfielder and Manchester United insist the delay in the move is due to the player’s £17m deferred salary from Barcelona, which has caused a stalemate
The English club believes Barcelona are keen on the deal as it is, due to the amounts owed to the player that exceed the wage structure and the necessity of selling, despite the denials of club president Joan Laporta who said it is not true that the club is obligated to sell de Jong
Manchester United this week concluded the free transfer of Christian Eriksen – who has become the club’s second signing of the summer transfer window after full-back Terrell Malacia from Feyenoord, with Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez on the verge of – but De Jong remains his main target this summer
However, the midfielder has set off for Barcelona on their pre-season tour of the United States, which is set to last 17 days
This reduces the likelihood of a deal being agreed anytime soon and is the latest indication that he may remain with the Blaugrana for next season – he is not expected to return with him and his teammates to Europe until August, according to the British newspaper, “Mirror”
De Jong is one of Barcelona’s high-income earners, and Barca owes him a series of payments and other clauses that are part of his deal, and the club’s problem is that it is currently unable to process these payments, which complicates the player’s future
It remains unclear if the player’s movement is on hold due to these payments or if he does not intend to complete a move to Manchester United
However, the English club are confident that their patience with negotiations will pay off as Barcelona have been open to his departure despite their stance of insisting he is not for sale
The Catalan giants have completed deals to sign Andreas Christensen, Frank Kessie, Ravenha and Robert Lewandowski, but they won’t be able to sign them this season until they drastically reduce their pay bill as several players prepare to leave
However, De Jong is the highest earner who is attracting the interest of other clubs which is why Barcelona have been open to negotiating his departure
Barcelona’s US tour will begin on July 20 against Inter Miami in Florida before facing Real Madrid in Las Vegas four days later, then face Juventus in Dallas on July 26, and they will conclude their US tour with a match against the New York Red Bulls on July 31
The 28-man Barcelona squad is on a pre-season trip to the United States: Ter Stegen, Dest, Pique, Arajo, Busquets, Dembele, Pedri, Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, Nico, Jordi Alba, Ferran Torres, Sergi Roberto, Frenkie. De Jong, Eric Garcia, Aubameyang, Jaffe, Inaki Pena, Pjanic, Collado, Casey, Christensen, Rafinha, Arano Tenas, Pablo Toure, Baldi, Abdelsamad Zelzoli, Casado
