Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong may not join Manchester United in time for their pre-season tour which begins from July 8, The Athletic reports.
The Red Devils have been in constant negotiations with Barcelona for the 25-year-old, but they are yet to finalise a suitable agreement for his transfer.
A fixed fee of €65 million has reportedly been agreed between the clubs, but discussions continue over the structure of the add-ons that could be worth €20m.
As per The Athletic, United’s pursuit of De Jong is likely to be delayed further, and the midfielder may not travel with the squad to Thailand on July 8.
However, there are suggestions that the Dutchman could be with the team in Australia from July 13, provided United make a breakthrough with the Blaugrana.
Our view:
De Jong has been the number one target for manager Erik ten Hag, and the club’s hierarchy are doing their best to secure his signature at the earliest possibility.
As things stand, there is no competition for the Dutch star, but there have been claims that Chelsea could enter the race if there is a breakdown in transfer talks.
Hence, United should be wary of a possible late approach from the Blues. The west London club recently failed to hijack the transfer of Richarlison from Tottenham.
This further emphasises the need to speed up negotiations with Barcelona. United don’t want to pay over the odds, but haggling over the fee could attract other clubs.
Ten Hag’s initial plan was to secure most signings before the pre-season tour, but as of now, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen could possibly be the only arrivals.
The Red Devils are pressing to sign Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez by Thursday, but a deal may not be straightforward as they must meet the €50m price tag.
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