Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit to sign Frenkie de Jong – should the Red Devils rekindle their interest in January or next summer.
According to the Daily Mail, De Jong will be transfer listed as an early exit from the Champions League could see the La Liga giants lose out on £18 million.
We shouldn’t forget that United spent the best part of three months chasing De Jong. A fee had been agreed with Barcelona, but ultimately the player decided to stay at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have an out-of-control wage bill and they will need to trim that in the summer. They also owe De Jong money for deferred wages which made a transfer in the summer more complex.
I think the La Liga giants are starting to feel the consequences of poor financial decisions during the summer – several levers used – and it’s only a matter of time before the Spanish press blame De Jong.
The rest of the football world warned them in advance.
De Jong was on the bench as Barcelona drew 3-3 with Inter Milan on Wednesday night and reports suggest he isn’t happy.
Sport claim De Jong is ‘disgusted’ with his situation at Barcelona, where he is not a regular starter anymore, even though the writing was on the wall in the summer when Xavi added Frank Kessie to his squad.
The Netherlands international has only made four starts across La Liga and the Champions League this season.
