Manchester United’s unwillingness to negotiate a fee for Frenkie de Jong as soon as possible ended his proposed transfer from Barcelona, according to Algemeen Dagblad.
Erik ten Hag had identified De Jong as his priority target in midfield, and it has now been revealed that the delay in finalizing the transfer hampered United’s chances of signing him.
According to AD, negotiations between United and Barcelona started smoothly before the international break in June and everything was discussed, including the fee, salary demands and bonuses.
However, the Manchester United hierarchy decided to delay finalizing a deal due to concerns about the full cost of the 25-year-old’s transfer.
United are said to have wasted valuable time between the end of the international break and the player’s holiday. The Dutchman made it clear upon his return that he intended to stay at Barcelona.
As a result, it appears that the Red Devils missed their main target due to indecision, much to the annoyance of Ten Hag, who clearly wished to reunite with his former Ajax star. If they had decided to meet the transfer demands early on, a deal would have been pretty straightforward.
United managers decided to negotiate and, after several meetings with Barcelona managers, they reached an agreement worth 85 million euros. On July 14, approximately a month after the international break, the verbal agreement was finalized. However, by this time, De Jong had returned from his vacation and decided to make it clear that he did not want to leave.
Barcelona, who were initially desperate to sell him for financial reasons, had found a solution by pulling up to four financial levers in the summer. This allowed them to sign up all their players as well as keep De Jong.
