Manchester United are reportedly willing to hand Frenkie de Jong a more lucrative contract to convince him to join from Barcelona.
According to SPORT, Manchester United are prepared to raise Frenkie de Jong’s salary to lure him away from Barcelona in the ongoing transfer window.
De Jong has been at the centre of one of the biggest transfer sagas of this summer as Manchester United make serious efforts to sign him from Barcelona. The Blaugrana themselves are ready to sanction the midfielder’s sale and have even reached an agreement with the Red Devils over a transfer fee worth €85 million, including add-ons.
However, the operation has stalled completely as the player is unwilling to consider a transfer to Old Trafford. The lack of Champions League football on offer is said to be one of the major reasons behind de Jong’s reluctance to move to Manchester United. In addition, Barcelona owe him around €20 million in deferred salary payments, which is another concern.
Barcelona, for their part, are pressing for the midfielder’s departure as his exit would open up space on the wage bill for them to register new signings such as Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. To that end, the Catalan giants have also informed the midfielder that he must leave the club.
But with the Netherlands international unwilling to change his stance, Manchester United could now be forced to throw more cash at the deal. As per the report, the Premier League giants are now willing to increase the contract offer to de Jong to match his salary at Barcelona and cover the deferred salary payments from the Catalans.
Despite this gesture from Manchester United, de Jong is still reportedly unconvinced about a potential move to Old Trafford. Furthermore, his agent, Ali Dursun, is reportedly in talks with the Red Devils’ Premier League rivals, Chelsea, waiting to see if the Blues are willing to make an offer for the midfielder.
So, as things stand, Manchester United are still in the dark over whether de Jong will join them this summer. The Red Devils have put in a lot of effort to sign the midfielder, who is new manager Erik ten Hag’s top target. Whether those efforts pay off or prove futile remains to be seen.