Manchester United are preparing a final offer for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong and manager Erik ten Hag is desperate to secure his top transfer target.
United's pursuit of the 25-year-old is the summer's biggest transfer saga and he was identified as a priority signing back in May.
A fee between the clubs was agreed weeks ago, but de Jong would rather stay at the Camp Nou.
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Spanish publication Sport have claimed the Red Devils are ready to make de Jong their highest-paid player and match his current £450,000-a-week salary.
In addition to that, United have said they're willing to pay de Jong the £17 million he is owed in deferred wages by Barcelona.
The Catalan giants are currently on tour in the United States and United chiefs are keen to meet with the Netherlands international's representatives when he returns next month.
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De Jong deferred a huge sum during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and he would want that money before being forced out.
Barcelona are looking to trim their wage bill after signing Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
They've told de Jong he will need to take a significant pay cut or leave.
Should he choose to depart, it's believed he would rather move to a team playing in the Champions League.
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United will be playing Europa League football this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Chelsea are said to have registered their interest and Thomas Tuchel's side will be in Europe's elite competition.
De Jong made his first start of preseason in the early hours of Sunday, helping Barcelona to a 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls.
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He was back in midfield after coming off the bench to play in central defence against Inter Miami, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Barcelona boss Xavi was asked about de Jong's future in his post-match press conference and declared: "I don’t know if he’s going to stay, there’s still time and a lot of things can still happen. At the moment he’s part of the team, like everyone else."
When asked about playing de Jong out of position, Xavi replied: "The fact that he played as a central defender in the other games was not a sign that he was leaving.
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"I don’t need to send signals on the pitch, I can speak directly with my footballers."
Topics: Frenkie De Jong, Manchester United, Barcelona
Daniel Marland