Frenkie de Jong is reported to have told his Barcelona teammates he has no plans to leave Catalonia this summer despite Manchester United's relentless efforts.
The ex-Ajax midfielder is thought to have snubbed the chance to reunite with his former manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in favour of staying put at the Camp Nou. A fee between the two clubs has actually been agreed for quite some time, but De Jong's desire to stay at Barcelona is an obvious obstacle for Ten Hag's transfer plans.
United have made little secret of the fact De Jong is their priority target, but despite the Red Devils offer of £63million plus add-ons being accepted by Barcelona the Premier League giants are no closer to actually landing the Netherlands international's signature.
Spanish outlet Cadena Ser claim De Jong has informed those close to him at his current club he will remain a Barcelona player by the time the transfer window shuts later this summer. The same report also claims the 25-year-old has informed United's hierarchy of his decision.
It would appear that De Jong's verdict has not deterred United in their pursuit of the midfielder and they remain confident they could sign the player in the coming weeks. Any deal from this stage would be frankly quite remarkable given De Jong's wishes.
Difficulty surrounding money owed to the 26-year-old from Barcelona complicates things further, with the La Liga titans still yet to pay the £14m to £17m in deferred wages De Jong has earned. It looks as if the midfielder will not leave the club until he is paid what he is owed.
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This has sparked a theory that Barcelona are trying some pretty underhand tactics to try and force De Jong out of the club - such as playing him as a central defender, a controversial tactic deployed by manager Xavi during the recent pre-season friendly against fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old has always been a midfielder throughout his entire career but some feel as if Xavi is deliberately trying to force De Jong out of the door by using him in a position that is completely unknown to him.
It would be ideal for De Jong to leave Barcelona from the club's perspective due to their perilous financial position and the fact the Dutchman is one of the few players on the books that could actually generate a decent-sized transfer fee means a permanent exit is preferred by those at the top of the hierarchy.
