Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists Man Utd have become “obsessed” with signing Frenkie de Jong but Barcelona are standing firm over their valuation.
Widespread reports have claimed that De Jong is Erik ten Hag’s top target this summer as he looks to revamp parts of his squad for next season.
With Premier League rivals Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all doing early business, the Red Devils have come under a bit of pressure to get some new signings over the line.
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De Jong seems to be the only one they are currently focused on before pressing ahead with other signings once they’ve convinced Barcelona to sell.
And Romano insists there is “still no agreement” between Man Utd and Barcelona over De Jong with the two clubs currently €16m apart in their valuation.
Romano told wettfreunde: “I’m sure that Man Utd will try and try because they’re convinced signing Frenkie de Jong will mean something more than signing a fantastic midfielder, something more than signing an important player on the pitch.
“It’ll be a message to the market. This is why Man Utd are obsessed with this transfer.
“Because signing Frenkie de Jong when you dont have Champions League football, when you have a new project with a new manager like Erik ten Hag, it’ll send a message to many other players, many other clubs that ‘okay, we’re still at the top level and we can do that even if other top clubs are signing other top players like (Erling) Haaland, Darwin Nunez.’
“So, this is why Man Utd are really trying for this deal. At the moment there is still no agreement. So it is not an easy deal for sure.
“It is not easy because FC Barcelona in the last meeting were pretty clear with Man Utd. They told them they’re not going to accept €60 million with add-ons, €70 million with add-ons.
“They want €86 million. This is exactly what they invested for Frenkie de Jong few years ago. They want the same money and also another point for them to understand is with La Liga rules, how much they can reinvest that money.”
Barcelona are hoping to use the money they get from De Jong to tempt Man City into selling Bernardo Silva this summer.
Romano added: “They (FC Barcelona) want Bernardo Silva. Barcelona’s mission will be to sell Frenkie de Jong and sign Bernardo Silva with almost the same money. So they dont want to lose in this kind of deal.
“At the same…
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