According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, Manchester United target Frenkie De Jong is open to working with Erik ten Hag again next season at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag wants to bring the Barcelona midfielder to Old Trafford, but there is a snag in the plan that the player will most likely need to resolve before the transfer can be finalized.
What is the most recent news on De Jong?
United have long admired the Dutch international, and a fee of around £63 million has reportedly been agreed upon with Barcelona for his services this summer.
Ten Hag was in need of reinforcements in midfield after Paul Pogba left on a free transfer this summer, and he appears to be closing in on a top target.
However, there is still a problem. During the pandemic, De Jong and the rest of the Barcelona team took pay cuts to help the club.
However, the wages were only meant to be deferred, and the club is still owed up to £17 million in payments for that time period.
What has Sheth said about the De Jong situation?
"The information we're getting is that he would be open to reuniting with Eric Ten-Hag," Sheth told GIVEMESPORT. The issue boils down to these deferred wage payments, because De Jong, like the majority of the Barcelona squad, took a pay cut during the pandemic. That pay cut represented deferred payments, and he is owed between 14 and 17 million dollars.
What happens next?
The former Ajax star appeared for Xavi's side in a pre-season friendly against Inter Miami on Tuesday night, but he was forced to play at centre-back rather than his preferred midfield position after being left out of the starting XI.
This could imply that the Barcelona legend is planning ahead without De Jong for the 2022-23 season, but it remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck before the transfer window closes.
It is unclear whether De Jong will join United this summer, but the deferred payments are certainly delaying any potential deal.
According to reports in Spain, Barcelona needs to sell in order to deduct the midfielder's apparent £250,000-per-week salary from the bill.
However, the fact that De Jong is eager to work with Ten Hag again will undoubtedly benefit United in the long run.
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