Manchester United have been dealt yet another blow in their frustrating summer, with reports suggesting their offer to buy long-term target Frenkie de Jong has expired.
Erik ten Hag's side have made just three signings this summer, despite losing a number of players at the start of the window. Results on the pitch have been worrying, with two defeats from two, prompting former captain Gary Neville to suggest the club could be in danger of a bottom-half finish.
One of the transfer targets who United have been tracking for some time is De Jong. A fee was agreed with Barcelona earlier in the summer, but no progress has been made while the clock ticked away and Ten Hag's team could now pay the price.
United's bid for De Jong was worth an initial £56m, potentially rising as high as £70m with add-ons. However, with the player reportedly keen to stay at Camp Nou and with off-field issues providing a distraction, further progress was not made.
De Jong's past with Ten Hag wasn't enough to speed up a deal, despite the pair enjoying a great season together at Ajax back in 2018-19. Now, according to De Telegraaf (via The Sun), the initial bid has 'expired'.
Man Utd aren't the only Premier League team to have pushed for De Jong, who started on the bench as Barcelona began their La Liga campaign against Rayo Vallecano over the weekend. And now, if the midfielder decides to continue his career away from Camp Nou, Chelsea may be able to take advantage of their rivals' failure to pounce.
Will Man Utd regret it if they miss out on Frenkie de Jong? Have your say in the comments section
Earlier this month, Chelsea made contact with Barcelona in an effort to hijack Man Utd's deal for De Jong. The Dutchman's future at Barcelona remains uncertain, in part due to the £15m he is owed in deferred wages, while Barca are keen to offload players after a busy summer.
New signings Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen were in danger of not being registered for the league opener, with La Liga demanding Barcelona generate more revenue or free up space on the wage bill. Ultimately, Barca did the former, allowing the quartet to feature against Rayo, but fellow new signing Jules Kounde was not registered in time for the game.
After a relatively quiet July, Chelsea became more active in the transfer market this month. Gaga Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka and Marc Cucurella have all joined, while further signings could be forthcoming.
Man Utd, meanwhile, have been looking at other options while failing to make progress on De Jong. Talks have been ongoing over a move for Adrien Rabiot, but Ten Hag's side could lose another midfielder this summer with James Garner's future in the balance.
