Barcelona are ‘secretly pushing’ for midfielder Frenkie de Jong to join Manchester United this summer with Xavi already making his feelings clear on a deal.
United have an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona with the value of £56.2million to sign the midfielder this summer. Reports had claimed the player has already cleared out his locker at Barca with a move to Old Trafford appearing to be edging closer. New United boss Erik ten Hag coached De Jong at Ajax and held a phone call to convince the player that he should join his project at Old Trafford.
De Jong, 25, was informed that he would be the 'conductor of the orchestra' and would be an undisputed starter under Ten Hag – a similar role to the one he enjoyed so much in Amsterdam. Yet the deal has become protracted and dragged out over several months, with the player’s former boss Ronald Koeman claiming that De Jong has no intention of leaving Barca.
On Saturday, that was fleshed out by a report which outlined how the midfielder has 10 reasons for not joining United and opting to stay at Barca beyond this summer. However, that appears to contradict the Catalan club’s stance that the player will be sold this summer.
In a detailed report from Diario AS, it is outlined how there is a prevailing thought among Barca chiefs that De Jong should be offloaded. However, nobody is willing to take direct responsibility for this stance nor support it publicly.
The report outlines a quote which Xavi gave after Barca conceded a late equaliser away to Osasuna midway through the season in La Liga, in which he lamented: "We don't have footballers with the total packaging to control the game." It is believed that was a pointed reference to De Jong, whose job in the side’s midfield is to control matches.
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It is also highlighted how De Jong was a signing made by the club’s former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, with the acquisition seen as a vindication for that board – as they beat Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to the player's signature, with a special visit to the player included in order to convince him to join Barca. It is therefore viewed by the club that his sale would not be an admission of a mistake by the current board, led by Joan Laporta.
De Jong has scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in 138 Barca games, figures which are not seen as sufficient to classify the Dutch midfielder as irreplaceable in the side. Indeed, it is highlighted how Laporta considered selling Gavi this summer in order to raise funds before being persuaded to change his mind – but De Jong would be able to command a similar fee.
It is a transfer saga that has drawn into months but the future of De Jong remains unclear, with Barca still open to concluding his sale to United – but there appears to be little committal from any party regarding the deal.
