Barcelona to leave Frenkie De Jong out of the pre-season tour to force Manchester United move

Frenkie de Jong Barcelona
Frenkie de Jong Barcelona

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish club La Liga this summer, and Manchester United are reportedly interested in securing his services.

There have been reports from the likes of Fabrizio Romano in recent weeks that the two clubs already have a verbal agreement regarding fees, but the player is refusing to leave this summer.

The Dutch international midfielder wants to stay at Barcelona.

However, Barcelona are going through a bit of a financial crisis, and they will need him to take a pay cut in order to stay. However, the player is unwilling to lower his wages either.

Barcelona seem to have been left with no option but to force him out of the club. A report from Spanish publication Sport claims that the Spanish giants are now considering the possibility of leaving the Dutch midfielder out of the squad for their pre-season tour to America.

It will be a drastic measure to convince the player that he is not a key part of their plans, and they want him to agree on a transfer to Manchester United.

The midfielder’s departure could reportedly free up around €30m from the wage bill, which would allow Barcelona to operate more freely in the transfer market.

Furthermore, his departure would also bring in transfer fees of around €85m which would then allow the Spanish club to move for some of their preferred targets like Robert Lewandowski.

It will be interesting to see if De Jong decides to give up on his resistance and move to the Premier League in the coming weeks.

He could be reunited with the former Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford. The two worked together during their time in Amsterdam, and de Jong played the best football of his career under the current Manchester United manager.

The Dutchman has had a mixed time since his move to Barcelona, and a reunion with Ten Hag could help him regain his form and confidence.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements, and signing a top-class prospect like De Jong would be a wise decision.