Barcelona president Joan Laporta has rubbished reports that the club have accepted a Manchester United bid for Frenkie de Jong, reiterating that the Dutch midfielder “is our player”.
De Jong is the priority signing for new United boss Erik ten Hag, who worked successfully with the 25-year-old in their time together at Ajax.
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The midfielder is owed money by Barcelona having taken a pay cut during the pandemic on the proviso he would earn that money back in the next couple of seasons.
That is among the reasons he wants to stay at the Nou Camp, as well as his desire to be playing Champions League football next season.
Reports suggest the Catalans have told De Jong to leave for United as they look to balance their books amid financial difficulties.
But Laporta says the club need to “clarify the situation” and reiterated his stance that they “really like” De Jong, while pouring cold water on a report that they had accepted United’s £72.2m bid for De Jong.
“Frenkie de Jong is our player, we really like him,” Laporta told ESPN. “We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn’t accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants. We need to clarify some aspects of his situation”.
United are interested in bringing Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Old Trafford if they fail in their attempts to land De Jong.
A report claims Milinkovic-Savic is ‘back in fashion’ at Old Trafford and his ‘agent could soon deliver a proposal’ from United to Lazio.
The Lazio midfielder’s agent is currently ‘collecting proposals’ from clubs with the Serbia international ‘not expected’ to stay in Rome next season.
Milinkovic-Savic’s future is said to now be ‘closely linked’ with De Jong’s after United’s attempts to take him to Manchester have ‘suffered a sudden halt’.
United believe Milinkovic-Savic would be ‘a level alternative’ to the Dutchman with ‘new developments on the Milinkovic-United affair are expected in the evening’.
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