Manchester United have been left 'frustrated' at how their involvement in the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga is being perceived - as they lay blame at Barcelona's door.
The two clubs have been negotiating over a deal for the Dutchman for months but appear no closer to concluding a transfer. De Jong has made it clear he is happy in Barcelona and would prefer to stay put, while his employers are keen to offload him so they can register their new signings.
United made De Jong their priority target of the summer window as Erik ten Hag sees him as the perfect profile to suit his style of play at Old Trafford, having worked with the midfielder previously at Ajax. To that end, United's board have been determined to back the new manager and even flew to Barcelona to hold talks over a potential deal.
Out of those meetings it emerged that the clubs had reportedly agreed on a fee worth a total of £71.5million, but Barcelona have been sending mixed messages over De Jong's future. On the one hand, president Joan Laporta and manager Xavi have both been stressing the 25-year-old is a key part of the picture at Camp Nou, while on the other conceding that anything can happen before the transfer deadline.
Pivotal to the confusion is De Jong's salary and Barcelona's adamance that he must take a pay cut if he wishes to remain at the club, such is the state of their finances. De Jong has already deferred £15million in unpaid wages and will not leave Barcelona without those being paid up in full.
All the while, United have remained patient in the proceedings, keeping faith that a deal would eventually be completed once the situation had been resolved in-house at Barcelona. But that has now given Chelsea a chance to muscle their way into the equation, with United now incensed by how they're now being portrayed as a 'dysfunctional club', as reports the Manchester Evening News.
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The report adds that United are frustrated by the persistent delays in negotiations, which have dragged out over 12 weeks since their initial contact with Barcelona. United do have other targets on their radar - namely Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and Wolverhampton Wanderer's Ruben Neves - but they are loathe to give up on signing De Jong just yet as they see him as a level above the alternatives.
De Jong's close relationship with Ten Hag is also key to their persistence, but they are still overlooking the fact that the player is reluctant to jump ship to United, who cannot offer him Champions League football. That is where Chelsea could come in and capitalise, as they are willing to pay De Jong's deferred wages to settle the dispute with Barcelona and also provide the lure of Europe's top club competition.
A move to London is also something which appeals to De Jong more so than residing in Manchester, though his preference would still be to remain a Barcelona player.
