Man Utd news: Frenkie de Jong fee agreed with Barcelona, but one issue is still stalling the deal
- Sean Fisher
- 15 July 2022
Manchester United inched closer to securing Frenkie de Jong on Thursday by agreeing a £63.5million fee with Barcelona, but one issue is stoppping the Dutchman from signing for the Red Devils.
Manchester United have offloaded eight players already this summer, but have only added Tyrell Malacia to their squad ahead of the start of the season.
It's not for their lack of trying, but the Red Devils need to get a move on if they are to bolster their squad and push for a top four spot in the Premier League this season.
Erik ten Hag's No.1 priority seems to be Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, and after months of negotiations, Manchester United finally made a breakthrough on Thursday by agreeing a fee of £63.5million for the former Ajax midfielder.
However, there's one issue still stalling De Jong from swapping Barcelona for Manchester - owed money.
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
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2022
Personal terms, still the issue to be resolved - as Frenkie’s priority is to stay at Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/aTYnV3cHkP
While Barcelona and Manchester United have agreed on a suitable deal, the 25-year-old still doesn't seem happy to seal his move to Old Trafford.
Many reports are suggesting that the Dutch star simply wants to stay in Spain this summer, while another issue seems to be the money owed to him by Barcelona.
De Jong is understood to be owed a substantial amount in deferred wages by cash-strapped Barcelona and the Dutchman will need convincing to leave the LaLiga giants.
But United would surely not have pursued De Jong all summer if they did not believe he was willing to move to Old Trafford, where he would be reunited with Ten Hag.
Having agreed to defer his wages upon the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's believed De Jong is owed as much as £17million by Barcelona, and the midfielder wants to see the money coughed up before he books his flights to Manchester.
United are also in advanced talks to sign Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, with a fee reported to have been agreed. Thankfully for the Red Devils, Martinez seems eager to join as quick as possible.
Football director John Murtough and chief executive Richard Arnold travelled to Amsterdam to discuss the transfer, having also recently been in Barcelona to talk about De Jong.
The executive pair remained in Europe as United jetted off on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia. Ten Hag's men face Melbourne Victory at the MCG on Friday having beaten Liverpool 4-0 in Bangkok on Tuesday.
