The father of Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong has dealt Man Utd a hammer blow as they look to sign the creative midfielder.
de Jong, 24, is one of Barcelona’s most valuable players, meaning he could be sold to help rectify their financial problems. Man Utd’s rivals City were the first Premier League club to declare their interest.
They were looking to engineer a swap deal which would see Ferran Torres go in the other direction. It is yet to materialise, although de Jong could still move to the Premier League.
Man Utd joined the transfer race last week as part of Ralf Rangnick’s plan to bolster his midfield.
The Dutchman would be a great addition to the Red Devils squad. He may even form a solid partnership with Donny van de Beek, following their time together at Ajax.
de Jong’s father John was recently asked about his son’s future. He revealed that several clubs have been in touch, although Man Utd and City may be held back by a key factor.
“It’s often bad weather there [Manchester]. Of course it’s about football, but it does matter,” he said (via Mirror).
“Of course I know that Barcelona needs money and a great offer for Frenkie could help. But I don’t see it happening anytime soon.
“Although, the five top European clubs have all called.”
Those comments mean United or City would have to pull off a serious charm offensive to bring de Jong to England.
The star came through Willem’s academy in his native Holland before joining Ajax U21s in 2015. He went on to become a key player in their first team, helping the club to reach the Champions League semis in 2019.
Barca soon came calling for his signature and parted with £65m to complete the deal.
Man Utd game against Brentford postponed
Meanwhile, United’s Premier League clash against Brentford has had to be postponed.
The Red Devils were due to travel to the Brentford Community Stadium on Tuesday night, but the fixture will now take place on a later date.
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It comes after several Covid-19 cases were found in the United camp. These instances need ‘ongoing surveillance’, according to the club, which is why the match cannot go ahead.
The latest round of testing found 42 positive cases across the Premier League. That’s the highest number since 40 back in January.
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