Manchester United chief John Murtough remained coy on Frenkie de Jong as he laughed off a comment from a supporter about signing him on Saturday.
It's been a productive summer so far for United as Erik ten Hag's squad has started to take shape following the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. However, the work is far from done and more reinforcements are wanted - especially in midfield.
De Jong has been the top target for three months now and, even though United have had a deal in place to sign the Dutchman with Barcelona for a number of weeks, they have been unable to get the deal over the line. That's largely due to De Jong's reluctance to leave the Camp Nou, especially when he remains in a stand-off over millions in unpaid wages, despite Barcelona doing all they can to strong-arm him out of the club.
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With exactly a month remaining in the transfer window, United will be hoping for a breakthrough soon or they may have to move on to other targets. United director Murtough has been at the heart of negotiations, having travelled to Barcelona to try and force through the move recently, and he was in Oslo on Saturday as Ten Hag's side took on Atletico Madrid in a friendly.
A video posted on social media shows a group of fans gathered in the airport to see the team on Saturday and as Murtough made his way through one shouted: "Get Frenkie!" Murtough didn't reply but did pick out the fan before giving a cheeky smile, which prompted a round of laughter from the supporters.
When speaking about improving his midfield last month, Ten Hag explained that United need to sign the right player. "We are looking for a player who can play in the holding midfield position but it has to be the right one.
"There are not many in that position capable of the level we demand. When we can’t find him, we have to deal with the players in our squad now and we will develop one in that position.
"I will not react on a certain player. We need the right player. We have a list and we qualify as the player who has the competence to play that role. We will strike the moment the player is available."
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