Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will reportedly try everything possible to change Frenkie de Jong’s mind about joining the club in the next few days.
The Barcelona midfielder seems unconvinced about the prospect of a transfer to Old Trafford, but Fabrizio Romano says Ten Hag will do what he can to convince the Netherlands international to link up with him again.
The pair worked well together at Ajax a few years ago, and De Jong now looks like just what Man Utd need in midfield after the struggles of Fred and Scott McTominay last season, while the Red Devils are also short of depth in that department following the exits of both Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
Writing in his latest column on CaughtOffside’s Substack, Romano explained the current situation, which seems to be moving slowly, though he did add that fans need not worry about comments from Barca president Joan Laporta.
“Manchester United fans will be desperate to see progress on this long-running transfer saga, but at the moment nothing has changed on Frenkie de Jong,” the journalist said.
“Still, don’t read too much into Joan Laporta’s public comments that the player is absolutely not for sale, because Manchester United and Barcelona are in direct contact beyond official statements; but there is still no agreement on the structure of the €20m add-ons, while the €65m fixed fee is almost agreed.
“The personal terms have not been discussed because De Jong would like to stay at Barcelona as a priority and wants to play the Champions League. He loves the club and United have been aware of this issue for some time. Still, Erik ten Hag will try in every way to change the player’s mind in the coming days.”
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