At this point, Frenkie de Jong has become a huge burden for Barcelona
Manchester United are said to continue to be interested in Frenkie de Jong. However, their strategy of signing the Dutchman, via a ‘barter’, does not appear to have been well received by Barca.
Manchester United are among the clubs interested in Frenkie de Jong. This interest is not only for sporting reasons, as the addition of the Dutch player would significantly boost the Red Devils’ midfield, but also stems from the wishes of coach Erik ten Hag.
Barca find it difficult to sell De Jong.
He once again wanted to own the players he had developed and then played successfully during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.
While signing De Jong does not appear to be a priority for Manchester United at the moment, it cannot be ruled out that the Old Trafford outfit could attempt to sign the No. 21 at some point in the future.
This is especially important considering that they have yet to bring in any signings to strengthen their midfield, unlike what Man Utd have done in other positions, such as defence (Leny Yoro) and attack (Joshua Zirkzee).
However, Manchester United are aware that signing Frenkie de Jong is not easy. Why? Barcelona are expecting a big sum, valuing De Jong at least at €60-€70 million. Having already spent €62 million on Yoro and €42.5 million on Zirkzee, the English side certainly do not have much money left.
De Jong becomes a conundrum.
Manchester United are considering a swap deal with Barcelona to reduce the transfer fee for Frenkie de Jong, according to Spanish media. However, the proposed player may not be attractive to the Blaugrana, as the Red Devils want to include Antony in the deal.
Football-wise, his recent performances have been inconsistent. Additionally, Barcelona are looking for a natural left winger, while Antony, who is left-footed, usually plays on the right wing, a position where the Catalan club already has stars like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
So it’s no surprise that Barcelona have ruled out the possibility of signing the Brazilian and have not even considered swapping him for Frenkie de Jong. It’s worth noting that Barca expect De Jong to bring a significant boost to the club’s finances.
Therefore, the possibility of De Jong leaving Camp Nou this summer is not high. In fact, he is currently the highest paid player in Europe. Any deal for De Jong will become a burden for Man Utd or any team that wants to recruit him.
Therefore, De Jong is gradually becoming a difficult problem for Barcelona’s leadership. For Man Utd, the story of De Jong is temporarily closed, and it may be difficult to come true in the short term.