Manchester United’s chase to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is now at a standstill, confirms Fabrizio Romano. This comes after the Red Devils made the huge decision to push through their move for Casemiro, having announced the agreement for his signature on Friday, despite the fact that this made their purchase of De Jong – who they have spend months trying to sign – unlikely to materialise.
This means, as Romano points out, that Chelsea have a clear run at the Dutchman, should he decide that he wants to leave Barcelona in the next fortnight. The transfer insider confirmed that Chelsea will be there to snap him up if De Jong makes this decision, and as was recently reported by The Telegraph, he would rather move to Stamford Bridge than Old Trafford at the moment.
Chelsea Handed Frenkie de Jong Boost After Manchester United Decision
Frenkie de Jong Deal ‘More Than Difficult’ for Manchester United Due to Complicated Factors
The Red Devils were forced to accelerate their hunt for a new defensive midfielder after the 4-0 loss to Brentford last week and realising that De Jong still isn’t keen on joining them. That is why they worked hard to secure the signing of the Brazilian midfielder from Madrid and add more steel to their midfield.
When it comes to the chase of De Jong, who makes around £294k per week, Romano adds that it is now “more than difficult” – but not exactly impossible. United feel like they aren’t a priority option for the 25-year-old and that if he decides to leave Barcelona before the end of the month, Chelsea are favourites to get the midfielder with over 300 career appearances under his belt.
Read More: Ajax Winger Antony Pushing for Move to Manchester United
The Red Devils feel the entire operation around the Dutch midfielder is at a total standstill and they are not expecting things to improve anytime soon. This is despite having agreed a fee of over £70 million with the La Liga side for his services over a month ago, but the deal hasn’t moved since because the Manchester side have failed to convince De Jong to agree personal terms with them.
Xavi on de Jong deal: “No, Frenkie de Jong is not a substitute. I don't know what will happen with the market”. 🚨🔵🔴 #FCB
“I can guarantee that if he stays, he will be important for us”. pic.twitter.com/NxsBYFXZqt
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 13, 2022
United’s Summer Business So Far
Erik ten Hag’s side have started to pick up their pace in the summer tranfer window. Last month, they announced the acquisition of Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, Christian Eriksen on a free transfer and centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax. But that is not enough to help the Red Devils compete with the Premier League’s best.
Read More: Casemiro Set to Fly to England to Compete Manchester United Move
The signing of Casemiro marks their fourth summer transfer, but it’s unlikely to be the last. United are still in the market for some players to strengthen their squad, including two forwards to bolster their attacking line after they only scored one goal in their first two Premier League games – and that was an own goal.
