Man Utd ‘close Frenkie de Jong transfer deal with Barcelona’ but face final obstacle

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Manchester United have now closed a £72million (€85m) deal to sign Frenkie de Jong with Barcelona but there is still one final obstacle in the way of the transfer. Richard Arnold and John Murtough flew to Catalonia on Monday in an attempt to strike an agreement with Barca chiefs following a month of complex negotiations.

Erik ten Hag is refusing to give up on a reunion with his former Ajax maestro as he looks to overhaul his depleted midfield.

There has been a number of conversations between Ten Hag and De Jong but still the player is focused on providing his worth at Barcelona and does not want to consider leaving Camp Nou.

According to Esport3 journalist Oriol Domenech, United have now closed the deal with Barca but they still have to convince De Jong to join.

That has been the key sticking point throughout the transfer saga and it’s a situation that looks unlikely to change – barring a dramatic swing of the pendulum.

Barcelona and United remain hopeful De Jong could yet change his mind, meaning the transfer would finally receive the green light.

Yet that is only likely to happen if Barcelona tell him he is no longer needed at the club and given Xavi wants to keep him, the chances of that happening are minimal.

De Jong is said to be grateful to United for their interest, while he is frustrated with Barcelona for their desire to sell.

The player accepts that the club need to find a solution to ease their financial struggles but De Jong does not believe he is the answer, it’s claimed.

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United are yet to show a willingness to move onto other targets and there’s still confidence this transfer will happen.

Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves are among the names United could turn to if they fail in their attempts to twist De Jong’s arm.

Speaking while away on international duty with the Netherlands last month, De Jong made it clear he did not want to change clubs this summer. He said: “I used to be reckless when I was asked about other clubs, that time has passed.

“I can’t say anything about that but I prefer to stay at Barcelona. I have already said it before, Barcelona are the club of my dreams since I was little.

“If other clubs call I will take the call, of course. It is something that is always done.”

United are finally set to land one midfielder though in the form of Christian Eriksen.

The Dane is due to undergo a medical before signing a three-year contract with the Red Devils.

There is also hope he could yet join them in the final stretches of their pre-season tour.

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