Manchester United chiefs John Murtough and Richard Arnold fly into Barcelona to meet with director of football Mateu Alemany in an attempt to step up chase for Erik ten Hag’s ‘priority transfer target’ Frenkie de Jong
- Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is wanted by Manchester United this summer
- United chiefs Richard Arnold and John Murtough have been spotted in Barca
- De Jong is reportedly happy to stay at Barca rather than join Erik ten Hag’s side
- However the United are thought to be ‘convinced’ they can pull off the transfer
- Barca boss Xavi will talk with the board this week about their plans over de Jong
Manchester United chiefs Richard Arnold and John Murtough have arrived in Barcelona as the club look to intensify their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.
United have spent much of the summer transfer window so far seeking a deal for the Netherlands international midfielder, but are yet to make any real progress in their chase.
Murtough and Arnold met with Barca Sporting Advisor Jordi Cruyff and director of football Mateu Alemany today at the Triton Restaurante in the Catalan city, in a bid to accelerate what is fast becoming the summer’s biggest transfer saga.
Frenkie de Jong is owed £17million in deferred wages by Barcelona which could hold up a deal
The former Ajax player, who was part of Erik ten Hag’s Champions League semifinalists in 2019, is under contract at the Catalan giants until 2026 but his immediate future is still far from clear.
De Jong himself has not yet made his thoughts on a move abundantly clear, although reports from Spain suggest that he is comfortably at the Catalan side, which will surely not please United fans.
On top of that, Barca President Joan Laporta has publicly stated the player will not be sold this summer, saying: ‘He is a Barca player. And unless we feel the need or the interest to sell him we won’t do it.’
CEO Richard Arnold arrived in Barcelona for a meeting with Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff
Director of football at United John Murtough (right) joined Arnold at the Triton Restaurante
‘Frenkie de Jong isn’t for sale. We know he has offers. And if at a given moment we are interested in selling him then we would think about it.’
But the small matter of Barca’s…