Manchester United will give Frenkie de Jong more time to make a decision on joining them before moving on to alternative targets.
The Red Devils have reportedly struck a £63.5million agreement to sign the 25-year-old, who remains reluctant to leave Barcelona, as they still owe him £14m in unpaid wages. New manager Erik ten Hag made De Jong his No.1 transfer target after he was appointed in May, but despite the pair's good relationship from their time together at Ajax, the midfielder has consistently stood his ground. His stance has forced United chiefs - who flew to Barcelona this week to thrash out a deal - to begrudgingly sound out backup options.
According to BBC Sport, the Red Devils have shortlisted a number of names who profile similarly to De Jong, whose new four-year contract with Barcelona became active on July. And it's in that new deal where the problem lies, as the Dutchman is owed payment from the past two seasons in which he deferred his salary to help the Blaugrana survive during the Covid-19 pandemic.
