Manchester United’s fading hopes of signing Frenkie de Jong look to be over, with the midfielder now seen as ‘untouchable’ at the Camp Nou.
For much of the summer window, the Netherlands international appeared destined to join his compatriot Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. The new United boss pinpointed the ex-Ajax star as his number one target, with hopes he could build his Red Devil revolution around the player.
During that time, Barcelona were happy to cash in on De Jong and agreed an €85million fee with United, However, despite the Blaugrana being keen to complete a deal, issues around a wage deferral proved a stumbling block too steep to clear.
United turned their attention to De Jong’s LaLiga rival Casemiro, with the Brazilian signing in a blockbuster transfer of his own. The former Real Madrid midfielder has quickly established himself as the heartbeat of Ten Hag’s side, building an effective partnership with Christian Eriksen.
But there is a feeling that ten Hag wants a younger midfield player to complement the experienced options now at his disposal. Manchester Evening News last week reported that De Jong had given assurances to the United boss that he was happy to make the switch, in contrast to his own public stance.
But the chances of their interest being rekindled in the imminent January window now appear bleak, with Barca hierarchy unwilling to listen to any offers. Spanish news outlet SPORT claim that Sporting Director Jordi Cruyff has declared the 25-year-old as an ‘untouchable’ part of their squad.
It is also suggested that there will be no pressure on De Jong to take a wage cut, with the payment of the wages he deferred during the coronavirus pandemic approaching.
Cruyff was recently asked about internal discussions over a potential De Jong exit, replying: “Today, that is not being talked about. In football there are moments and sometimes they are not defined only by football issues.
“Not everyone understands what it is, every week there are changes, but there are situations and decisions that are not only football. But time has passed and he is playing an important role.”
He added: “These are moments in the market and not just with Frenkie, but with everyone, there is a fair play and the consequences of not complying with it are enormous and there are calculations that have nothing to do with the pitch.
“It is an accumulation of things and you do some calculations. There is nothing more to it. Fair play forces you to make decisions.”
The decision on De Jong’s future has also impacted Barcelona’s pursuit of Manchester City ace Bernardo Silva. The Portugal international had been touted as a potential replacement, but fresh reports now claim that deal is dead in the water.
Mirror Football understands that Ten Hag has quietly accepted that signing any of his top targets during the January transfer window will be difficult - and will instead look to get the best out of the players already at the club.
