Manchester United's agent advises Frenkie de Jong to abandon the transfer.
The Dutchman has still refused to relocate to Old Trafford. (Image courtesy of Getty Images) )
According to reports, Frenkie de Jong's agent has told Manchester United's hierarchy to stop trying to convince the midfielder to move to Old Trafford despite the fact that the club has agreed a fee with Barcelona.
United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough were in Catalonia this week to meet with their Barcelona counterparts, finally agreeing on a fee after weeks of haggling.
The Spanish side has accepted a deal worth around €85 million (£72 million), with around £63 million paid up front and a further £10 million going to Barcelona in various add-ons.
The deal, however, has remained in jeopardy due to De Jong's unwillingness to join United, with Barcelona's hierarchy even meeting with the Dutchman on Thursday to ask him to accept the offer.
Their pleadings, however, appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with Spanish newspaper Sport reporting that De Jong's agent, Ali Dursun, has told Arnold and Murtough to abandon their efforts to convince the Netherlands international to join.
The trio met in Barcelona, with United hoping that now that a fee has been agreed upon, De Jong will finally accept their offer.
They were met with even more resistance, with Dursun emphasizing that his client does not wish to join the Red Devils.
De Jong and his girlfriend, in particular, do not want to leave Barcelona for Manchester, with the 25-year-old unwilling to uproot his family or play in the Europa League.
Despite the presence of his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, the midfielder has serious reservations about the project on offer at United and how close they are to competing for silverware again.
Dursun has thus advised United to stop 'waste their time' because De Jong's position is clear: he does not wish to join the Red Devils.
He has also asked his agent to stop informing him about Barcelona's efforts to sell him, claiming that ignorance is bliss, and has stated that he has no intention of succumbing to their demands to join United.
That is not to say he will not leave Barcelona, as the Dutchman is open to leaving Camp Nou given how he has been treated - but he wants to do so on his terms, and join a club of his choice that is competing in the Champions League.
Everything indicates that United will be unable to entice De Jong away from Barcelona and will be forced to abandon their pursuit, while the Catalan club has been left with a massive financial problem as they seek to comply with FFP.
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