Manchester United are reportedly not ready to admit defeat in their protracted pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils have been trying to sign the Netherlands international for most of the summer.
Erik ten Hag has made De Jong, who he worked with at Ajax (opens in new tab), his top transfer target, but progress has been painfully slow.
Last month it was reported that United (opens in new tab) had agreed an initial fee of around £63m with Barcelona (opens in new tab) for the midfielder’s transfer.
Joan Laporta, the president of the Catalan club, has recently stated (opens in new tab) that they have not actually accepted any offer for De Jong.
(Image credit: Mike Owen/Getty Images)
However, the main problem is De Jong’s lack of interest in moving to Old Trafford.
He wants to stay at Camp Nou and fight for his place in Xavi Hernández’s team, while the fact that Barcelona owe him 14 million euros in deferred payments complicates the situation even more.
However, despite the difficulty in agreeing a deal, United are not yet ready to turn their attention to alternatives.
According to Give Me Sport (opens in new tab), they are still confident they can sign De Jong before the transfer window closes at the start of September.
This is mainly due to Barcelona’s financial situation, which forces it to raise funds to balance the accounts.
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De Jong is perhaps the only player that Barcelona are willing to sell and that would also generate a significant amount in the market.
United are hoping De Jong will eventually be forced out and there doesn’t appear to be much competition for his signature as things stand.
Still, the noises coming out of Spain do not suggest De Jong is on his way to Manchester anytime soon.
Cadena Ser (opens in new tab) writes that the Dutchman has told his Barça teammates that he will not be leaving anywhere and that he will still be part of Xavi’s squad when the window closes.