Manchester United Plan Next Bid For Midfielder, But WIll Not Be Held To Ransom

Manchester United are reportedly adamant that they will not be held to ransom for Frenkie de Jong, amid claims that their first offer for the Dutch midfielder was rejected by the Catalan club.

Erik ten Hag is pursuing Frenkie de Jong to plug the hole in midfield left by the departed Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in an effort to revitalise a dejected and depleted Manchester United squad.

With Barcelona wanting up to £85 million for the player, they reportedly rejected the Red Devils’ initial bid of around £60 million as they prepare to stick to their guns in an effort for a higher bid, despite the fact that they have incredibly well documented financial problems at the heart of their club.

This has led Manchester United to reportedly feel “determined to not be forced to pay top whack” for the midfielder, as they will likely feel that Barcelona’s current financial problems will end up resulting in a lower accepted bid.

Speaking on the situation, a United source said: "As much as De Jong is a player the club and Ten Hag admire, they're not prepared to be Barcelona's financial bail-out."

The club are prepared to put in a fresh bid for the player, but this fee is likely to still fall short of Barcelona’s £70 million valuation, as after forking out several top-level fees for players such as Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in recent seasons combined with the fact that Ten Hag will likely need five or six reinforcements over the summer in order to achieve the club’s top four ambitions, paying over-the-odds for one player so early on in the window is something the club simply cannot afford.

Manchester United will want Frenkie de Jong to sign for the club ahead of their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia, as it will give the player the time he needs to settle into the new squad and become acquainted with his new teammates; but after this new development in the transfer saga, it feels like the two clubs may yet have a little way to go before an agreement can be reached.

With all the speculation surrounding his future rife among the news, a reporter questioned De Jong on what lies in wait for his future, to which the maestro midfielder simply laughed and replied “I can’t say anything.”

Erik ten Hag is said to be confident of finalising the deal and getting his wish, with the man in charge said to have gone on a “charm offensive” to convince De Jong of his new English project.

With the player currently on international duty with Holland, he would likely not join the rest of the squad when they report back to the club on 27th June, however will most probably want his future to be settled before he takes time off for holiday.