A fresh insight into Manchester United’s ongoing pursuit of Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong has been provided on Saturday.
And the news will no doubt be met with widespread concern on the part of the Red Devils faithful.
Recent days have of course seen reports linking Dutch international de Jong with an Old Trafford switch move up a notch.
With the former Ajax standout widely understood to have been identified as the no.1 target to reinforce United’s ranks in the middle of the park ahead of next season, talks were officially kicked into gear between the Premier League giants and Barcelona over a potential deal on Friday.
Manchester United have formally opened talks to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong | @JBurtTelegraph #mufc https://t.co/RwV6VG91Lg
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) June 10, 2022
Such negotiations came amid the widespread understanding that de Jong had given his blessing to a move to Manchester, where he would of course link up with the man who oversaw the finest form of his career to date – Erik ten Hag.
Some outlets, in turn, went as far as to suggest that a big-money opening offer for the midfield all-rounder had been tabled on United’s part.
If the latest word stemming from the Spanish media on Saturday is anything to go by, though, then, in fact, de Jong could be ready to throw an altogether considerable spanner in the works of the transfer chiefs at Old Trafford.
As per a report from Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo, despite claims to the contrary, the 25-year-old has not communicated his willingness to link up with ten Hag’s United.
It is even suggested that de Jong is ‘opposed’ to the idea of a move away from Catalunya this summer.
??| Frenkie de Jong is currently opposed to leaving. @ffpolo #fcblive
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) June 11, 2022
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