Frenkie De Jong Admits He Is Now Ready To Agree To Join Manchester United After FC Barcelona Treatment

Frenkie de Jong has admitted that he could be ready to join Manchester United following his treatment by FC Barcelona in recent weeks.

The two clubs agreed an €85mn ($87mn) deal for the 25-year-old’s transfer in July, yet De Jong refused to switch allegiances with United’s lack of Champions League football and a desire to succeed at Camp Nou under Xavi Hernandez cited as his primary motives.

Elsewhere, however, it has also been suggested that a dispute over deferred pay was another reason for De Jong digging his heels in, and Barca’s conduct regarding the matter has apparently upset the Dutchman to the extent of finally making him entertain a move to Old Trafford.

After agreeing a contract extension and pay deferral in October 2020, De Jong is set to earn €18mn ($18.4mn) next season and then €88.58mn ($90.2mn) over the last four years of his contract.

Earlier this week, however, it was revealed how Barca had informed De Jong and his camp that the deal signed on the watch of current president Joan Laporta’s predecessor Josep Bartomeu had allegedly thrown up evidence of criminal activity.

Barca want the contract to be annulled and De Jong – in addition to three other players that also struck similar deals in Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet – to refer back to their old arrangements.

With De Jong also verbally abused outside Barca’s training ground this week, by fans who told him to accept the 50% pay cut that Laporta wants him to take to stay, and which a family source that spoke to Mundo Deportivo this week said the player has “o.oo%” intention of doing, tensions are reaching boiling point between the two parties.

The same paper said that De Jong believes Barca are running a media smear campaign against him. And on Saturday, rival publication SPORT say that De Jong has finally admitted to his colleagues in the locker room that he could go to United after all.

De Jong is now “more open to change” it is said, and is also “very angry” with Barca who he thinks are pressuring him to leave.

On Friday, at his prematch press conference ahead of Saturday’s La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano, Xavi admitted that he doesn’t “know what will happen between now and 31 August” as per De Jong.

The news should also put United’s rivals Chelsea on alert, with recent reports suggesting the west Londoners are ready to match the Red Devils’ offer for the former Ajax playmaker.