It is no secret that Manchester United have made Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong their no.1 priority for this transfer window, with new boss Erik ten Hag keen to work with the 25-year-old once more following their successful spell together at Ajax.
However, the deal has proved far more slow-moving than many on both sides would have liked, with reports of De Jong’s unwillingness to go and Barcelona and Manchester United’s distance when it comes to transfer fee littering the media.
(l-r) Frenkie de Jong of Ajax, Ajax coach Erik ten Hag during the Florida Cup 2019 match between Ajax Amsterdam v Sao Paulo FC at Orlando City Stadium on January 12, 2019 in Orlando, United States(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
And, despite weeks of the same rumours dragging on, it appears that little has changed. That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims that despite direct contact on Tuesday afternoon, no agreement has been reached on a fee.
This comes with Barcelona demanding at least 86m euros (£74m) for the deal to be struck, something that the Red Devils view as unrealistic.
Moreover, the Blaugrana want it all as guaranteed fees, rather than including add on potential, in order for them to be able to spend more on strengthening their own squad this summer.
Manchester United and Barcelona have been in direct contact today for Frenkie de Jong. Still no agreement on the fee, as Barça told Man Utd they won’t sell FdJ for less than €86m. ??? #MUFC
Barcelona want full fee guaranteed, also because of La Liga rules to reinvest money. pic.twitter.com/n6WBFk5Uxy
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 21, 2022
Barcelona target Bernardo Silva
Should a deal for De Jong be able to be struck, Xavi will turn his attentions to Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, who he views as a key part of his project at the Camp Nou.
However, it would require a similar sort of fee to the one that they themselves are demanding for De Jong, which would leave them cash-strapped in their pursuits of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, all of whom they have shown strong interest in.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Southampton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Fulham FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Brentford FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
