Manchester United ‘Very Close’ To De Jong Transfer Agreement With FC Barcelona

Manchester United are ‘very close’ to reaching an agreement with FC Barcelona for their midfielder Frenkie de Jong and expect a deal to be finalized in the coming days, according to reports.

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League giants now managed by De Jong’s former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag opened talks with the Blaugrana this week.

According to SPORT on Saturday, a deal for around €80mn ($86mn) has been struck and everything now depends on what De Jong – who has expressed a wish to stay at Camp Nou and also wants to play Champions League football which United can’t offer – decides.

Contact between Barca and United started before the end of the last La Liga season which ended trophyless for the Catalans, and intensified once Ten Hag succeeded the Red Devils’ interim coach Ralf Rangnick in the dugout.

Ten Hag exacted the best club form from the 25-year-old thus far in his short career, when Ajax went on an unlikely run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/2019 with De Jong voted the season’s best midfielder in the competition for masterclasses against the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus.

Barca beat Paris Saint Germain and others to De Jong’s signature that summer by paying €75mn ($80mn) for his services, yet the playmaker has struggled to find his feet in Catalonia and is regarded as the most sellable player for his current cash-strapped employers who have debts of around $1.5bn.

De Jong has also criticized his boss Xavi Hernandez on Friday by suggesting he is played out of position in Blaugrana colors.

Asked to pass comment following the Netherlands’ impressive 4-1 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League, De Jong noted that: “Here in the national team I have a position that suits me better.”

Under Xavi, De Jong plays as an ‘interior’ in a two man partnership in front of Sergio Busquets. For Holland, though, he occupies the Barca captain’s pivot role.

“I like being the first player to receive the ball from the defenders,” De Jong confirmed.

SPORT say that De Jong is an “absolute priority” for Ten Hag, who will most likely play De Jong where he prefers and build a team around him.

The daily newspaper reports that United are “clear” there will be no problem to close an agreement for De Jong “in the coming days”, with the player starting to doubt his lot at Barca now that it is becoming clear they are “absolutely willing to let him go”.

United want to finalize the deal before mid-June, and should it fail to come off, they will look at other alternatives such as Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

As for Barca should De Jong walk, they are well-stocked in midfield while boasting the likes of Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez among their number.