Manchester United have reached an €85million (around £71 million) agreement with Barcelona for Dutch international Frenkie de Jong, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Manchester United Reach Agreement With Barcelona for Dutch Superstar
Red Devils Still Have Work To Do Complete De Jong Deal
The initial fee will be around €75million, with add-ons taking it up to the €85million mark.
However, the remaining issue in the deal is that the 25-year-old would prefer to stay at the Spanish club, meaning personal terms are yet to be agreed.
Manchester United have reached full agreement with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong, after further talks. Package worth €85m. Fee guaranteed around €75m plus add-ons. 🚨🇳🇱 #MUFC
Personal terms, still the issue to be resolved – as Frenkie’s priority is to stay at Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/aTYnV3cHkP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2022
De Jong’s agents, Ali Dursun and Hasan Cetinkaya, reportedly informed Barcelona of the player’s desire to stay this summer, and confirmed that he had “no intention to leave”. An ongoing factor in the talks between De Jong’s agents and the club’s representatives is that a salary reduction will not be accepted on the player’s side, whereas Barcelona would ideally reduce some players’ wages in order to improve their financial situation.
Talks between both parties have been regular since the start of the transfer window, with a reoccurring issue being that De Jong wants Champions League football, which United cannot offer for the upcoming season.
Ten Hag Could Provide Pull Factor for de Jong
A more appealing element of the deal for the player will be the recent appointment of United’s Head Coach Erik ten Hag, who coached De Jong throughout their time at Ajax. With the ongoing speculation surrounding the Red Devils and Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez, as well as Donny Van de Beek eager to reach the levels he did in Amsterdam, familiar faces could be the defining factor in convincing the Dutchman to join his old teammates at Old Trafford for the 2022/2023 season.
De Jong would play a key role under Ten Hag and given United’s current lack of creativity in the middle of the pitch, he would likely be one of the first names on the team sheet each week. He is already familiar with the coach’s playing style and what he expects of his players, and so would be implemented straight away to be the squad’s main playmaker, or play in front of the backline to maintain possession and create attacks from the back. Having been deployed in a number of positions in his career, De Jong is able to cover both attacking and defensive areas on the pitch if needed.
Should the deal be completed in the coming days, De Jong will be the Reds’ second signing of the summer, after the club announced the transfer of Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia on July 5. Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed that 24-year-old Lisandro Martinez is “imminent”, whilst The Athletic reported that Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen had verbally agreed a three-year deal with the club, pending a completed medical test.
