Frenkie de Jong has aimed a sly dig at Barcelona over their handling of his situation.
It was reported earlier this week that Barcelona and Manchester United have agreed a deal for the Dutch midfielder, United are to pay an initial fee of £63.7 million and a further £8.5 in performance related add ons.
Official. Frenkie de Jong is included in the squad of Barcelona's pre-season tour in US. 🚨🛩🇳🇱 #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2022
Still no changes: no agreement on player side with Manchester United, no intention to leave as things stand. The clubs have agreed €75m fee plus €10m in add-ons. pic.twitter.com/1lnDwwDuVV
Despite an agreement between the clubs, the player in question seems unhappy about the way Barcelona have handled the situation.
De Jong has never publicly stated he wants to leave the club, having previously described moving to Barcelona as his ‘dream move’. And it seems the situation is starting to irk the Dutch midfielder.
The 25-year-old was spotted liking a comment on Instagram left by a fan that read: “I dislike the way we have handled Frenkie’s situation.”
Though he did remove the like later on in the day, this was seen as a direct message from De Jong to the club. It is clear that he wants to stay at Nou Camp but feels as though he is being forced out of the club.
New United boss Erik ten Hag has made it clear to the club that he wants De Jong to be signed as soon as possible. The former Ajax manager has previously held phone conversations with the midfielder outlining his plans at Old Trafford. It is believed that Ten Hag told De Jong that he will be the ‘conductor of the orchestra’.
However, a lack of Champions League football is putting the Dutch international off the move.
De Jong is currently part of the Barcelona squad that has travelled to the United States for the club’s pre season tour. Their next fixture will be against MLS outfit Inter Miami on 20 July.
⚡️ 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙆𝙊𝙐𝙏 ⚡️
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 17, 2022
Morning session at the @InterMiamiCF training facility. 🇺🇸
𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗖̧𝗔 𝗧𝗩+
🖥 https://t.co/y4T6zDqzRN pic.twitter.com/HWXmnGkNj3
This isn’t the first time Barcelona have been criticised over their handling of a transfer situation. The departure of Luis Suarez was a prime example. The Uruguayan was left out of the first team until he agreed to leave the club. Although he didn’t want to leave, the move actually benefited Suarez as he went on to join Atletico Madrid, where he won the La Liga title two seasons ago.
All eyes will now be on De Jong’s every move as his future remains uncertain. The club wants to sell but the player wants to stay. Who will get their way? Only time will tell.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona, Manchester United
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- Manchester United Set Ultimatum Over Frenkie De Jong Signing
