According to Fabrizio Romano, Frenkie de Jong is staying at Barcelona for another season. This dashes Chelsea and Manchester United‘s hopes of signing the player, leaving both potentially searching for last-minute targets to bolster the midfield.
Frenkie De Jong Stays at Barcelona, Refusing Last-Minute Move
Who Was Pushing for the Move?
The drive for the move was each of the individual clubs. Barcelona were having financial difficulties earlier on in the window and required sales or other revenue streams before registering signings. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Manchester United had agreements with the club over a fee, with both sides requiring more creativity and ball progression in their early matches of the season.
Throughout the saga, Frenkie de Jong wanted to remain at Barcelona, with no intention of leaving the Nou Camp.
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Official. Frenkie de Jong is included in the squad of Barcelona's pre-season tour in US. 🚨🛩🇳🇱 #FCB
Still no changes: no agreement on player side with Manchester United, no intention to leave as things stand. The clubs have agreed €75m fee plus €10m in add-ons. pic.twitter.com/1lnDwwDuVV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2022
Why is Frenkie de Jong Staying?
The Dutch midfielder is staying at Barcelona as that is his own personal preference. With a large contract at the club and Los Blaugranas owing the player £15.2 million of deferred wages, de Jong clearly feels that there is no need to lose out on more potential earnings for the contract, and can keep playing at one of the most reputable clubs in the world.
Additionally, the Nou Camp hierarchy have resolved some of the financial issues, at least temporarily. All of their summer signings are registered, so there is no need for panic selling of top talents such as the Dutch international.
Read More: Premier League Predictions
What Next for Manchester United and Chelsea?
Chelsea are late in the process of securing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. The forward is a reliable force at the top of the pitch, and could resolve their vacuum in the centre-forward positions.
Manchester United are relatively quiet on deadline day. There are no new significant rumours about any more incoming players, so there is a chance that Erik ten Hag is happy working with the resources currently available to him.
Frenkie de Jong stays at Barcelona. No doubts — he never changed his mind. 🚨🔵🔴🔒 #DeadlineDay #FCB pic.twitter.com/fowfzN8s5z
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
