Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd indecisiveness cost Ten Hag chance to secure £73.6m signing – but January move could be on
Manchester United missed out on signing Frenkie de Jong in the summer for surprising reasons – but hopes of a January deal are growing, Chelsea is considering a possible raid for a veteran star, and Saturday’s Euro Paper Talk has new details of new contract plans for two Milan stars wanted in the Premier League.
NEW EXPLANATION FOR MAN UTD’S FAILURE TO LAND FRENKIE DE JONG
According to a fresh rumor, Manchester United may have missed out on signing Frenkie de Jong due to major doubts within the club’s board.
Erik ten Hag, the new manager of Manchester United, swiftly identified his midfield as a weakness upon his hiring. However, finding a replacement proved far more difficult than anyone anticipated.
De Jong was his main target for much of the summer. United spent several weeks attempting to close the transaction, only to be frustrated in the end. And the humiliating incident is said to have forced football director John Murtough to face a hard reality.
United’s failure to complete a deal was thought to be due to the players’ unwillingness to leave Barcelona for Manchester.
According to Algemeen Dagblad, this appears to be incorrect. And, according to the Dutch newspaper, it was Ten Hag’s transfer fee that cost him his ideal signing.
According to AD, negotiations between United and Barcelona were going well until United’s board had second thoughts.
They apparently delayed finalizing the transaction after calculating that his ultimate £73.6m transfer fee would be significantly in excess of his valuation.
To their chagrin, Barcelona was also hoping for a trade, particularly in the latter half of the window. However, the agreement fell through due to the refusal to drop the previously agreed-upon price.
And, much to Ten Hag’s chagrin, the move was eventually canceled.
Frenkie de Jong transfer: A January move to Manchester United is still possible.
Manchester United is apparently keeping an eye on De Jong’s position at Barcelona. As a result, a new approach from United in the January transfer window cannot be ruled out at this time.
That is undoubtedly the position of transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke. And he believes Ten Hag’s only regret this summer was missing out on him.
“I’m sure Manchester United are keeping an eye on Frenkie de Jong’s situation at Barcelona,” O’Rourke told GiveMeSport.
“It was definitely a blow for United not to be able to close the deal because he was their number one priority.”
And United has renewed faith that a solution can be reached. This comes as La Liga President Javier Tebas warns Barcelona that they must reduce their pay expenditure in the coming year.
“Barca must lower its wage expense,” he stated. “There will be no levers next year, and they will have to cut the wage cap that may correspond to them, which will be around €400 million.”
