United chiefs Richard Arnold and John Murtough flew to Barcelona, earlier this week
Frenkie de Jong has reportedly been left ‘disgusted’ by Barcelona after boss Xavi ‘informed him’ of their decision to sell him to Manchester United over a phone call.
The Dutchman returned to training with the Catalan giants on Monday, before United chiefs Richard Arnold and John Murtough flew to Barcelona in an attempt to conclude an agreement between the two sides.
The pair met with club president Joan Laporta and Barcelona’s transfer officials Mateu Alemany, Jordi Cruyff and Rafa Yuste.
As reported by Catalan TV station TV3, the Red Devils have already agreed a total package worth £72million for the 25-year-old, with Mundo Deportivo adding that Xavi phoned the player to inform him of the situation on Monday night.
Man Utd's Richard Arnold and John Murtough are in Barcelona. Barcelona close to signing Raphinha at Leeds (£60m+) so the interminable Frenkie De Jong saga could be in its decisive stages…
— Alex Shaw (@AlexShawTel) July 11, 2022
The report adds that it was the second direct meeting between the clubs after an initial meeting at the Via Veneto restaurant last Thursday in Barcelona. The relevant representatives met again earlier this week at the Triton restaurant, near the Camp Nou.
De Jong ‘understanding’ of Barcelona situation
It is thought that De Jong is ‘understanding’ of Barcelona’s economic situation, with the LaLiga club needing to sell players in order to raise funds. However, he has been left deeply annoyed about the handling of the transfer, and is said to have been isolated in the negotiation process.
Previous reports claimed that the former Ajax midfielder had already cleared out his locker at Barcelona, with a move to Old Trafford appearing to be edging closer. Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag is a huge fan of the Dutchman and has held a phone call with the player to convince him to move to Old Trafford.
While the transfer saga has dragged on over several months, it finally appears that United are edging closer to securing De Jong’s signature.
Related links:
- Frenkie De Jong tells Chelsea he favours move to Man United
- Barcelona only willing to pay Frenkie de Jong small amount of wages owed
- Barcelona president deals Man United huge blow in Frenkie de Jong chase
