Manchester United’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has taken another twist as their bid for the Dutchman has reportedly ‘expired’. The former Ajax star has been a priority for the Red Devils since the transfer window opened, even though he is reluctant to leave the Camp Nou outfit.
Erik ten Haag has been desperate to reunite with De Jong at United and believes that the midfielder can provide some much-needed quality in the centre of the park. However, it is well reported that the 25-year-old is digging his heels in at Barca.
And in a new development, it appears the Red Devils will need to submit a new bid to the La Liga outfit if they are to sign De Jong as their previous offer has ‘expired’. Speaking on the Telegraaf podcast, Marcel van der Kraan said: “I have heard – from very strong sources – that Manchester United’s offer for Frenkie de Jong has expired.
“New negotiations will have to begin. They will have to make a new construction to fulfil the economic wishes of the player.”
It is believed that a deal worth £63million was agreed for De Jong, plus add-ons, but the player was not keen to make the switch to the Premier League, with long-standing financial problems with Barca one of the cited reasons. The expiration of an offer has come at a poor time for United, who are bottom of the table after the opening two matches of the new season and take on Liverpool next.
Ten Hag’s side were beaten 2-1 by Brighton to kick off the new campaign, before being handed a 4-0 thumping by Brentford on Saturday – with both results not doing justice to the dominance of the opposition. The manager was vocal after the final whistle at Brenford about his need to recruit before transfer window closes, and their being no end date to the De Jong saga will only fuel frustrations.
He said: “We need new players and quality players. We will try and convince them to join. Mistakes are part of football, you have to keep going but you have [to] especially act — It [three subs at half-time] was about bringing fresh ones. I could have changed all eight others as well.”
United will certainly feel that they need to act quickly to prevent the door opening for other clubs to strike a deal for De Jong, with Chelsea also interested in the playmaker. The Blues are keen to add depth to the centre of the park, and recruiting a midfielder may not become a priority after N’Golo Kante picked up a muscle injury against Tottenham on Sunday.
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