Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Man Utd dealt Frenkie de Jong blow as triple swap transfer emerges

mirror.co.uk, 7 July 2022, 16:23
Manchester United have been frontrunners to sign the Barcelona midfielder all summer but Chelsea have now emerged as a destination with an audacious triple swap deal mooted Frenkie de Jong has been linked with Man United

Manchester United's hopes of signing Frenkie de Jong have been dealt a huge blow despite them agreeing on an initial transfer fee for his transfer from Barcelona.

United are ready to pay £56.2million for the Dutch international, who has already cleared out his locker at Barca with a move to Old Trafford appearing to be edging closer. New United boss Erik ten Hag coached the midfielder at Ajax and held a phone call to convince the player that he should join his project at Old Trafford.

However, despite believing they have a clear run at signing the central midfielder this summer, the situation has now changed with Chelsea monitoring De Jong. Furthermore, the Blues have an upper hand in the negotiation process as they could be involved in a triple deal to land the player.

Having already completed the signing of Andreas Christensen this summer following the expiration of his contract at Stamford Bridge, Barca are now eyeing up deals to land two more defenders from west London this summer.

The Blaugrana are said by Diario AS to be more confident than ever of a deal to sign long-serving Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta this summer while they are also hopeful of completing a deal to sign Marcos Alonso from Chelsea too. All these deals are separate, but it is a factor that gives them an upper hand in their stance on De Jong.

It has now been revealed that the Blues are using the negotiating process between the two clubs over the deals for Azpilicueta and Alonso to discuss the possibility of a move for De Jong. It is unclear what the player's stance on such a move would be - given he was open to talking to new United boss Ten Hag, with whom he shares a close relationship.

Have Your Say! Which club will De Jong be playing for this season? Tell us what you think here.

De Jong's exit from Camp Nou this summer has been complicated as it has emerged that Barca owe the player significant payments that had been deferred from previous campaigns. The Catalan club would need to shell out an eye-watering £34.5million to the Dutchman next year as stipulated by his contract.

This is based upon De Jong's wage at the club alongside a series of payments that are owed to the player through amortizations and other clauses that are part of his deal. It is the clearest indicator yet of why Barca have been open to cashing in on the player this summer and at a value less than what they paid Ajax three years ago for his services.

In addition to this, Barca have been aware that De Jong's preference is to stay at the club this summer as he is settled in the city with his girlfriend and he has enjoyed a prominent role at Camp Nou. However, his situation remains shrouded in doubt after Chelsea entered the conversation on his future.

Show more

Top News

22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly decided to target Stuttgart midfielder Enzo Millot in the summer transfer window. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Peru can leapfrog Venezuela for eighth in CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifying on Tuesday when they travel to Estadio Monumental de Maturin on matchday 14. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly reluctant to extend Diogo Jota's deal at Anfield and are said to be growing increasingly frustrated by the forward. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo has told Rasmus Hojlund he aims to celebrate in front of the Denmark striker in Sunday's crunch Nations League tie. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has received a boost as Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha's ban has been extended to four games, meaning he will miss his side's next two fixtures. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Everton Women star Rikke Madsen won't forget her team's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace any time soon. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo is the most lethal goalscorer in history - but Lionel Messi edges him in the never-ending 'greatest of all time' debate. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool may have one hand firmly on the Premier League trophy, but more recent matches have shown that the Reds board cannot rest on their laurels during the summer transfer window. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk After a disappointing start to World Cup qualifying, Romania will look to get their campaign up and running when they visit Serravalle to face minnows San Marino on Monday night. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two nations who made the perfect start to World Cup qualifying meet in Zenica on Monday night when Bosnia-Herzegovina host Cyprus. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly among three Premier League teams to have taken an interest in signing Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly received a significant boost in their efforts to sign Rayan Cherki, whom Lyon have decided to sell in the summer transfer window. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has reportedly made a final decision on whether he plans to re-integrate Marcus Rashford into his squad this summer. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United have been told to seek wisdom from darts sensation Luke Littler over how to handle high-pressure situations. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Peter Crouch has scored his first goals for Liverpool in nearly 17 years and he made sure to celebrate accordingly. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's reported capacity to purchase a new striker in the summer transfer window is in excess of £100m due to their good financial health. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Newcastle United will have a special Carabao Cup trophy parade next weekend after ending 70 years of hurt. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Newcastle United will finally get their trophy-winning party in front the Toon Army. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are set to be active during this summer's transfer window, as the recently-appointed Ruben Amorim looks to bring in players capable of thriving in his 3-4-3 system. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate reportedly has no release clause in his current contract amidst interest from Real Madrid in his signature. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are facing a centre-back crisis for their La Liga match against Osasuna next week, with Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen potentially all missing the rescheduled fixture. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Another consolation silver medal is waiting for Arsenal at the 2024-25 Premier League finish line, as Mikel Arteta and co bemoan injuries, suspensions and fatal - yet avoidable - transfer mistakes. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly begun initial talks with Napoli over the possible transfer of Rasmus Hojlund to the Serie A club in the summer transfer window. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are expected to move for at least one central midfielder during this summer's transfer window. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Twelve years may have passed, but Franck Ribery is still not over his 2013 Ballon d'Or snub. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea are not familiar with quiet summer transfer windows and as it stands, there's no sign of bucking the trend in 2025. 22 March 2025 talksport.com Walsall boss Mat Sadler claimed the decision not to request a postponement this afternoon was 'out of' the club's hands. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona would reportedly be willing to let Raphinha leave during this summer's transfer window if an offer of €120m (£101m) were to arrive, with Manchester United said to be keen to sign the attacker. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Suggestions that Liverpool's season would be disappointing if they only win the Premier League title are ludicrous, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 22 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has apparently emerged as a potential transfer target for AC Milan, who took Joao Felix off of the Blues' hands in the January transfer window.