Barcelona president Joan Laporta has aimed a dig at Manchester United while greeting fans in the USA, where the La Liga giants are on tour for pre-season.
A recent report from Spain, relayed by Football 365, claims that United have ‘resumed talks’ to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The thought of rekindling our interest in De Jong baffles me because I’m still annoyed that we spent over 100 days of Erik ten Hag’s first transfer window chasing him, only to end up moving onto other targets towards the end of the summer.
It doesn’t have the same appeal as it did two years ago and still seems unlikely, even though De Jong fits the profile of what Ten Hag is looking for to improve his midfield.
Barca are reportedly ‘totally willing to allow him to leave’ and a £67m fee has been touted. They need to sell players to make room for new signings this summer, which happens to be the case every year due to their ongoing financial issues.
Having travelled to the US with the Barca squad, Laporta took some time out to engage with supporters. A teenager in attendance was spotted wearing a United shirt.
Laporta posted for a photo but made a joke beforehand: “Throw that shirt away, please!”
El presidente se ha parado a firmar a aficionados…y broma con uno de ellos que llevaba una camiseta del Manchester United😅👕
📽️ @tjuanmarti pic.twitter.com/sA9UUhKl9d
— Diario SPORT (@sport) July 29, 2024
Barca will play Man City, Real Madrid and AC Milan during their US tour.
United are in the US too, making it a possibility for chiefs of both clubs to arrange a meeting if necessary. The Reds have two more friendlies in the US against Real Betis and Liverpool.
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