Barcelona could set off for their pre-season tour of the United States without Frenkie de Jong in an attempt to convince him to leave for Manchester United, a report claims.
De Jong is a major target for Manchester United this summer after the appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager. A move to Old Trafford for the midfielder would reunite him with his former Ajax boss.
However, De Jong has not been totally convinced about joining Manchester United. The situation has been frustrating for a variety of reasons.
A sale would benefit Barcelona, who need to free up space on their wage bill, as well as United, who need to strengthen in midfield. But De Jong’s stance has been holding up the transfer.
There is a feeling he does not want to leave Barcelona without receiving deferred wages he is owed. But his current employers want him to accept United’s advances so all can move on.
Clearly, the longer the saga drags on, the less it benefits anyone. With that in mind, there has been talk of an ultimatum from United for the transfer to materialise.
A breakthrough came earlier on Thursday, when reports revealed they have reached an agreement over his transfer fee with Barcelona. Now, it is up to both clubs to convince De Jong he should be making the move.
According to Diario Sport, one strategy Barcelona are considering would be to omit De Jong from their pre-season tour of the USA. They are due to set off over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.
Friendlies will take place against Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus and New York Red Bulls before the end of July. The fixtures will take place in Miami, Las Vegas, Dallas and Harrison respectively.
Sport suggest that De Jong might not be part of them. A report from the Catalan source explains that Barcelona could make their stance clear to the 25-year-old by leaving him at home.
They are ready to up their pressure on De Jong and feel this could be the necessary step to convince him his future will no longer be with Barcelona, despite his contract there running until 2026.
Resolution required in Frenkie de Jong saga
The start of the season in both the Premier League and La Liga is now less than a month away. It is still unclear where De Jong will be playing.
Both Barcelona and Man Utd seem to have fairly clear ideas about where he should. But De Jong still has to make up his own mind.
The two clubs need to convince him to firm up a decision over his future. Barcelona may struggle to register new players if they can’t offload him. Indeed, Sport remind they can gain €85m (£72m) by selling him and save €30m (£25.4m) in wage payments in the process.
With that in mind, they could be planning for a future without him. An omission from their pre-season tour would make it glaringly obvious.
Over the weekend, De Jong’s status at Barcelona – and how it affects him – could become clearer. If he is to change club, he will need to build up some understanding of his new surroundings.
Therefore, the sooner Man Utd can reach the conclusion they want, the better it should be for all.
