Manchester United were willing to pay £75 million to sign Frenkie de Jong last summer but the midfielder midfielder was reluctant to leave Barcelona, Mundo Deportivo claim.
The Red Devils had identified the Netherlands international as their priority midfield target last summer and negotiations were held with the Blaugrana for several weeks.
United eventually agreed on a transfer fee but De Jong refused to negotiate personal terms.
As per Mundo Deportivo, the Red Devils accepted to pay around £75m for the Dutchman but could not convince him to join despite the chance to reunite with Erik ten Hag.
Man Utd unlikely to land De Jong anytime soon
Ten Hag was focused on signing De Jong last summer but a transfer failed to materialise.
As a result, United turned their attention to Casemiro in August. This has proved a blessing in disguise as the Brazilian has played a big role over the course of the season.
The former Real Madrid man has five goals and six assists for United this campaign. He has also been brilliant in his own half with several tackles and duels won.
Hence, United have benefited from De Jong turning them down. Ten Hag remains keen on signing his former Ajax star but in our opinion, a transfer seems unlikely.
De Jong has had his best season so far with the Blaugrana. We don’t see him considering a new challenge. He was reluctant to leave last summer and could maintain the same stance.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
