Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong set to reject Manchester United transfer attempt
According to The Mirror [Print Edition] (h/t The Express), Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is set to reject the attempt from Manchester United to sign him in the summer transfer window. He has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but it seems that there are no plans to leave Camp Nou as of now.
Man United are desperate for some midfield additions, and it was hoped that they could use Erik ten Hag to convince De Jong to move to Old Trafford. Ten Hag also wanted a reunion with his former star, but the midfielder is expected to reject their offer due to the lack of Champions League football.
Ten Hag demanded the Red Devils to “do all they can” to finalise a move for the Dutch international, but it appears that they are engaged in a losing battle. West Ham United’s Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips of Leeds United and Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund are also on the boss’ shortlist ahead of this summer.
Lack of CL to affect Man Utd’s plans?
It was pretty clear from the start how missing out on CL football could adversely dent our transfer plans for this summer. Those fears have now proven to be true, with the 25-year-old willing to turn down our proposals despite Ten Hag’s presence.
Barca have secured their spot in the prestigious competition for the next term, and there were doubts whether the former Ajax man would willingly downgrade after this season. Unfortunately, the Manchester club have been dealt a harsh reality check about their current situation.
One could say that the Mancunians could run into similar issues in their pursuit to sign Rice, Phillips or Bellingham for that same reason. The failure to qualify for the next campaign’s CL could potentially force us to change our transfer plans and search for other targets.
After all, we cannot afford to just ignore the woes in the midfield, especially with the massive overhaul that could take place in the centre of the pitch. The likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are seemingly likely to depart the club this summer.
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That leaves Fred, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes as our only options, with Donny van de Beek set to join us after this term from his loan spell at Everton. These options do not instil the supporters with confidence in any case and De Jong could have been a massive boost in quality.
Despite enduring a mixed time with the Blaugrana side, De Jong has often showcased how complete he can be by getting involved in all areas of the pitch. However, Ten Hag could have played him to his strengths if he had moved to Carrington. Since that appears out of the cards, the board must look elsewhere to meet their needs at the end of this season.
