Manchester United have been told two players could be hindering their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Former Premier League striker and talkSPORT analyst Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that the uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's future and Paul Pogba's departure could be causing De Jong to think twice about a move. Erik ten Hag has identified De Jong as his top target, with United already confirming the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen.
United have been in discussions with Barcelona for over two months. The Manchester Evening News understands a deal in principle has been agreed upon, though Barca president Joan Laporta has since insisted the midfielder is not for sale.
ALSO READ: 'I only scored 10 goals and people start complaining' - Fernandes defends role
Ronaldo remains away from the team having asked to leave the club, while Pogba has returned to Juventus after an underwhelming six-year stay at Old Trafford. Agbonlahor believes that United aren't the attraction they once were, and he pointed to Ronaldo's potential exit and Pogba's recent departure as two examples of why De Jong may not fancy a move to Manchester.
He said: "I’ve been talking about Manchester United not being as much of a pull for a while now and Man United fans don’t like it. They can’t handle the straight facts. De Jong, if he’s leaving Barcelona, he does not want to go to Manchester United. There are quotes that have come out that he would rather Bayern Munich, he would rather Chelsea.
"Because if I’m choosing a team in the Premier League and I’ve got the chance of Chelsea or Manchester United, I’m choosing Chelsea. I’m in London, I’ve got Thomas Tuchel who’s won the Champions League recently, you’re playing Champions League football this season, you’ve got a better squad of players.
"Manchester United have got Ronaldo who doesn’t want to be there, he’s not turned up for pre-season. You’ve got players that aren’t performing. You’ve lost top players like Pogba.
"They’ve got problems and it’s going to take them a while to get a chance of winning the Premier League or the Champions League. Does De Jong want to go from Barcelona, who will be playing Champions League football, to Manchester United, who aren’t going to be?
"And they've got problems at their club. He will choose Bayern or Chelsea or stay at Barcelona."
READ MORE:
