Manchester United have dropped a hint as to whether they revive their mission to sign Frenkie de Jog this summer. The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from Barcelona this summer amid Blaugrana's ongoing financial troubles.
It's believed that Erik ten Hag's side were once best placed to sign the Dutchman but, since Chelsea entered the race, the Red Devils seemingly turned their attention to Adrien Rabiot. Though, in another turn of events, the Manchester Evening News claim United have now called off the short-lived pursuit for the Juventus midfielder.
The report states that United agreed a £15million fee, rising to £20million, with the Old Lady for Rabiot, but sources say that the France international wanted an "obscene" salary. Rabiot's mother, Veronique, negotiated on her son’s behalf and was viewed as a stumbling block in talks due to her infamous reputation.
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With United retracting their interest in Rabiot, it has begged the question as to whether the Red Devils plot another swoop for De Jong. This could be an issue for Chelsea; football.london understand that the West Londoners have liked the idea of signing the Netherlands international for a few years now.
And, while the Blues could face competition from United for De Jong's signature, Tuchel is confident of beating Manchester United to a deal. It's said that Chelsea have entered talks with the midfielder as the German boss looks to arm his side with more creativity in midfield.
But, despite Barcelona's well-documented financial struggles, officials at the club seem unwilling to let De Jong leave. As quoted by the Mirror last month, Joan Laporta has insisted that the midfielder is not for sale: "Frenkie de Jong is a Barcelona player. We don't want to sell him unless we have no other choice.
"Of course, we know there are offers for De Jong, but we don't want to sell him. There are clubs that want him, not just United. We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay.
"Frenkie is considered as one of the best midfielders in the world by all the experts. We are happy to have him. I'm going to do everything I can in my power so that Frenkie stays here, but there's also a salary issue, and that would have to be adjusted."
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