Frenkie de Jong 's move to Manchester United is reportedly close to collapsing after his agent affirmed to Barcelona that he doesn't want to leave.
The Red Devils have a £56million deal in place to sign the 25-year-old, who has been former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag 's top transfer target since his appointment as United's new boss. De Jong, however, has long made it clear that it's his intention to stay at Barcelona, but their perilous financial predicament is forcing the La Liga giants to listen to offers.
Although Red Devils chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough - in charge of the club's transfer operations - made the trip to Spain this week in the hopes of thrashing out a successful conclusion to the saga, their top target continues to dig his heels in in a bid to remain at the Camp Nou.
But his refusal to take a pay cut keeps him in the shop window, with Barcelona desperately needing to drum up cash this summer. Mundo Deportivo report that De Jong's agent, Ali Dursun, has informed club officials of his client's firm stance, having returned to pre-season training with his teammates on Monday.
It's added that Blaugrana chiefs Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff reminded De Jong that Barcelona are in such a tough situation that they must consider transfer bids of the Red Devils' magnitude. His departure viewed as a solution to multiple problems at Barcelona, like their own fading pursuit of Robert Lewandowski and the Spanish football federation's stringent financial rules. The alternative is that De Jong reduces his salary once more, an option which he and Dursun are unwilling to contemplate.
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Even manager Xavi Hernandez 's assurances that the midfielder will play a key role for the Blaugrana for years to come can't convince De Jong and his representatives to yield. Xavi labelled De Jong unsellable back in spring, with the No.21 being a consistent starter as they qualified for the Champions League and salvaged second place in La Liga last season.
Towards the end of his first of three tumultuous seasons in Catalunya, Dutchman chose to defer his salary in order to help Barcelona survive the financial effects of Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that he's owed around £17million in unpaid wages. Rather than take another pay cut, though, De Jong still wants to be compensated from his previous agreement.
Due to the impasse, Camp Nou chiefs are happy to sell the Netherlands playmaker to United, and Old Trafford head honcho Arnold assured fans in a leaked conversation that "money is not a consideration on who we want." He revealed to a group of supporters, who planned to protest outside of his home in Cheshire: "The manager wants him and they have actually done the work. He's a great player. Is it £100million or £200million? I don't know. Get who you f***ing want."
De Jong himself, of course, has made it crystal clear that he'd prefer to keep playing for his "dream club" than join the 20-time English champions, having been probed on transfer rumours while on international duty in June. "What I'm saying, there is absolutely nothing of an agreement or anything official," the ex-Ajax starlet told ESPN.
"At the moment there is no question of it at all – not that I know of in any case. Or they must not have told me, but I don't think so. I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is just my dream club. Also from a young age, I just said it, too. I've never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I've achieved so far. But I have never regretted my choice."
De Jong then told a news conference following his outstanding performance in the Netherlands' dramatic 3-2 victory over Wales a week later: "You're always flattered when teams show interest in you as a player. But I am at the biggest club in the world at the moment and I feel fine there, so no news."
With the Premier League season less than a month away, Ten Hag's dream still remains far from a reality.
