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With Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong reaching a stalemate, Barcelona are again urging the midfielder to sign for United.
United and the Catalan side were able to come to an agreement on a fee for the talented Dutch midfielder last week.
However, issues surrounding the €17 million of deferred wages Barca owe De Jong has kept the move from going ahead for now.
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The Spanish giants would only owe De Jong the money if he remained at the club, as is his first choice. But, with Barca attempting to force him out of the club, he feels he should be correctly compensated.
Barcelona had already told De Jong that he must leave earlier this month, a stance that has not changed according to a new report from the Independent.
The report notes that Barcelona are urging De Jong to leave for the, “good of the club.” It is well known that De Jong has always seen Barcelona as his “dream club,” with the midfielder reiterating this fact earlier this year.
Despite Manchester United’s pursuit of De Jong being kept on hold by the issues surrounding his deferred wages, United are reportedly not prepared to move on to other targets.
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The report notes that for the time being, United are willing to keep waiting for updates on the situation in Barcelona.
Importantly, it was also noted in the report that the possibility of Manchester United paying some or all of De Jong’s deferred wages is not an option. This is due to “both legal and tax terms.”
The belief that United are waiting for Frenkie de Jong specifically seemed to be all but confirmed by new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to the media in Melbourne ahead of the Crystal Palace victory on Tuesday, the Dutchman revealed that he does not believe that there are many players who can fill the midfield role the club are looking for.
“We are looking for a player who can play in the holding midfield position but it has to be the right one.” Said Ten Hag. “There are not many in that position capable of the level we demand. We have a list and we qualify as the player who has the competences to play that role.”
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The new United boss would then continue, confirming that if United feel they cannot find the right player, then they will turn to an in-house solution.
“We will strike the moment the player is available. When we can’t find him, we have to deal with the players in our squad and we will develop one in that position.”
One of those in-house solutions could see a Manchester United youth player gain a significant amount of game time this season.
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Youngsters Zidane Iqbal, and Charlie Savage have been highly praised for their work on United’s pre-season tour so far.
Meanwhile, James Garner who was highly praised during his time on loan at Nottingham Forest is back amongst the United first team squad. Yet to feature for United during their pre-season tour after suffering a minor injury, the Englishman is expected to take part in the remaining games of United’s tour.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Frenkie De Jong, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Transfers, Barcelona
