Apparently, United feels that only their own ‘indecisiveness’ prevented a blockbuster move for Frenkie de Jong in the summer – and that, despite rumors to the contrary, the Dutchman would have joined them.
Erik ten Hag’s main transfer priority was the Barcelona playmaker, whom the Dutchman had seen flourish during his reign at Ajax. After weeks of back-and-forth, United and Barcelona agreed on a deal worth an initial £56 million for the midfielder, but the transfer did not go through.
De Jong did not appear to be totally convinced on the idea of heading to the Premier League, particularly given United’s inability to offer Champions League football, and indicated publicly on multiple occasions that he was content to stay at the Nou Camp.
But that didn’t stop Manchester United or Ten Hag from continuing their pursuit of the Dutchman, and according to a fresh report, the club still believes a deal can be struck.
According to Dutch publication, the club believes it missed out on De Jong because it waited far too long to fulfill the Spanish giant’s £73 million asking price.
The Old Trafford leadership was allegedly made aware of Barcelona’s demands in early June, but they did not surrender and met those requests until De Jong returned from his vacation a month later. By that point, the midfield maestro was said to be ‘determined’ to reject a transfer away from the La Liga club, who were willing to sell one of their top earners.
De Jong has appeared in all six of Barcelona’s games this season, including Saturday’s 4-0 win away at Cadiz, when he opened his account for the season by scoring the game’s first goal.
It remains to be seen whether United would renew their pursuit of De Jong in future transfer windows.