Manchester United have no interest in being dragged into a bidding war with Chelsea for the services of Frenkie de Jong.
The Barcelona midfielder is at the centre of a transfer battle as both Premier League clubs look to add him to their squads before the deadline later this month. United have been in talks with De Jong for months but could now be pipped to the post by the Blues, who look to have gained the upper hand in negotiations.
De Jong's proposed move to Old Trafford has been held up due to a row over £15million in unpaid wages that were deferred by the La Liga giants, who remain fraught with financial issues. But latest reports claim Chelsea are prepared to stump up that figure on top of a transfer fee in order to take the Dutchman to Stamford Bridge.
It is thought the 25-year-old also favours the idea of a move to London, rather than Manchester, despite being reluctant to leave Barcelona behind. Mirror Football understands that United are now ready to pull the plug on their move for De Jong to pursue other targets rather than try and outbid Chelsea for his signature.
The Blues have the added incentive of Champions League football to offer De Jong - something he is keen to remain involved with. With the deferred wages adding onto the cost of a transfer, the deal could potentially end up costing Chelsea a total in the region of £86m.
It is thought United would be prepared to match Chelsea's willingness to stump up the unpaid wages, but the cost of the deal could end up spiralling further when it comes to discussing contract terms. As such, United could now switch attentions to other targets.
Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, 25, is one of the favoured alternatives to De Jong and would be significantly cheaper. The Belgian is out of contract at the King Power Stadium next summer and it is thought he could be acquired in this window for a cut-price fee from around £25m.
The Foxes' boss Brendan Rodgers is resigned to losing Tielemans in the next year but United are yet to make their interest known. "There is that possibility [of Tielemans leaving] but there has not been anything for him, we haven’t had any approaches to the club yet on that," said Rodgers this week.
"Of course it is in the back of the mind, that sort of what-if scenario, but he doesn’t want anything to drag on either."
Who should United target instead of De Jong? Have your say in the comments below.
Another option for the Red Devils is long-term target, Wolves ' Ruben Neves. The Portuguese maestro, 25, has been heavily linked with United through a number of transfer windows but spoke at the end of last season how he could now be ready for a fresh challenge.
Speaking at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, Neves said: "The only thing I can tell you at the moment is that everyone knows what football is about, what our lives are about. Our career is really short and we need to take the opportunities we have.
“All of us have dreams and we need to live those dreams in a small space of time. Let’s see what happens, I cannot say too much about it.”
