Pranav Kannan
Barcelona confirm transfer offer for Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong
Speaking in an interview to @carodelas as quoted by popular Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that there is an offer from a club for Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong.
Laporta however went on to insist that the offer has not been accepted since the club want to talk to the player and find out what he wants to do before going forward with the offer.
“Frenkie de Jong is our player, we really like him. We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn’t accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants”
The Frenkie de Jong-Manchester United saga has been going on for a few months now. The Red Devils are very keen on signing the Barcelona man but the player does not seem keen on a move to Old Trafford.
This has meant that the Old Trafford outfit have been forced into somewhat of a dead-end situation and might be forced to look at alternatives to reinforce the midfield if it becomes clear that they cannot sign the Dutchman.
De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 on the back of a stupendous season with the Eredivisie giants. Anyone who has seen the Dutchman play knows that on his day, he can be simply unplayable and can dominate any midfield and exert a direct influence on the game.
That said, it is interesting to note how Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has chosen to use him in their pre-season games until now. The Spanish tactician has deployed the 25-year-old as a centre-back in both games.
Speaking about Frenkie and his future as quoted by @ActualiteBarca (h/t Romano), Xavi did say that he loves the player and also hinted that the centre-back role might be something he is planning for this season.
“I’m not here to send messages. I already spoke with Frenkie, I value him very much. He’s key player, but then there’s economic situation and Financial Fair Play. He can give us a lot also as a centre back”
The part that is most surprising is that Barcelona continues to talk to the media without making their stance on De Jong any clearer. The sooner Man United can come to terms with it, the better they can plan their approach.
More Manchester United News
- Ajax chief reveals why they were pushed to sell Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United
- Jorge Mendes offered Manchester United striker, Cristiano Ronaldo to Barcelona
- Peter Schmeichel warns Manchester United midfielder, Christian Eriksen
This situation is not favourable for Man United. It is high time we set a deadline and if we fail to sign him by then, we must move on to the next viable option. What we cannot afford is to go into the new season without signing a player for midfield.
It remains to be seen how this De Jong situation pans out. If not De Jong, it’s high time we start looking at other options.
