Barcelona president Joan Laporta has provided the inside track on Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United.
In what has proven to be one of the most tedious transfer sagas we can recall from recent years, Man United have been trying to sign de Jong for several months now.
While there has seemingly been an appetite to sell on Barca’s side of the equation, de Jong does not appear to have even the remotest interest in joining Man United.
It’s unclear exactly which way this situation will end up finding a resolution, but Barca president Joan Laporta wouldn’t be surprised if he ultimately stays at the Nou Camp.
Can you categorically confirm de Jong won’t join Man United? Laporta to @CBSSportsGolazo: “In football you never know. It all depends on the different parties”. 🚨🇳🇱 #MUFC
“I can say there is a strong possibility he stays & I will do my best for him to stay at Barcelona”. pic.twitter.com/wPk2R4gF6f
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 29, 2022
That would be a huge blow for United and Erik ten Hag, who have already wasted the bulk of the summer transfer window attempting to strike a deal with Barca.
They have obviously received some sort of encouragement that de Jong does in fact want to move to Manchester, but the player himself has never actively pushed for the move.
There’s still a month left to strike a deal, so Man United remain very much in the fight, but you wonder how long they’ll wait before moving on to alternative transfer targets…
