Manchester United are now closer than ever to securing an agreement to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, reports Fabrizio Romano. The Red Devils have been negotiating a transfer for over a month but are yet to get the deal over the line due to a snag which has slowed talks.
Manchester United’s Deal for Frenkie de Jong Stuck Due to Barcelona’s Demands
▫️ Agreement more than close since Monday between Man United and Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong on €65m fixed fee, but €20m add-ons structure to be discussed… and then personal terms;
▫️ Lisandro Martínez: bid set to be submitted.
More on Man Utd 🔴↪️ https://t.co/tLQq287SRg pic.twitter.com/QthB0wUj54
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 2, 2022
Red Devils Yet to Finalize Add-Ons Structure for De Jong Transfer
Romano also clarifies that United and Barcelona have struck an agreement over the initial transfer fee to be paid for the De Jong transfer, which will be around £55 million. The major stumbling block which is stopping the deal from taking place now is the add-ons to be added to the deal.
These add-ons can only be triggered based on how the Dutch midfielder performs at Old Trafford and if he reaches some of the clauses in the transfer contract. The Red Devils are willing to pay €20 million in performance-related bonuses, but are still discussing the finer points of how these add-ons can be achieved in the future.
Read More: Manchester United Looking to Sell Three First-Team Players
While a total package of €85 million for the 25-year-old might seem expensive, he was valued at a massive €112 million by Dutch national team manager Louis van Gaal. United are also yet to discuss personal terms with the 25-year-old midfield maestro, mostly because they are focused on fixing the transfer fee first.
De Jong isn’t too eager to leave Barcelona, who he’s referred to as his ‘dream club‘ very recently, but he has accepted his fate and is looking forward to working with Erik ten Hag again after their spell together at Ajax.
Frenkie de Jong situation 🇳🇱 #FCB
▫️ Man Utd & Barça agreed €65m fixed fee but still discussing on €20m add-ons structure;
▫️ Personal terms never discussed yet;
▫️ Frenkie’s priority has always been to stay at Barça;
▫️ Salary reduction ‘very unlikely’ option on Frenkie side. pic.twitter.com/bXcGIB3II3— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 3, 2022
United Also Focusing On Other Transfers Before Pre-season Tour Starts
While the Red Devils are keen on completing the Dutch midfielder’s signing, they are also working on securing some of their other transfer targets. United are on the verge of signing Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia as the first signing for Ten Hag.
They are also working hard to sign Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez and have tabled a contract offer to free agent Christian Eriksen as well. The Red Devils surprisingly didn’t make a single signing in June, but look focused on getting some transfers done before the pre-season tour.
Read More: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
Ten Hag will take his squad on a pre-season tour of Asia later this month, with the first pre-season game being against Liverpool on July 12. Before that, the Dutch manager will hope to get at least a couple of signings in as he aims to revitalize the Manchester giants and get them challenging for top honours again next season.
