Barcelona announcement could have Frenkie de Jong knock-on effect for Manchester United

Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong is seemingly the transfer saga that will never end.

United aren’t backing down, despite their efforts falling flat thus far. Reservations over their fall-back options mean Erik ten Hag’s preference remains the first choice at Old Trafford, no matter how long it takes.

United have seemingly been in a position to finally get a deal over the line at various points over the past few months, not least when they agreed a fee with Barcelona. They’ve been met by public statements from the Nou Camp denying the midfielder is up for sale, despite evidence to the contrary.

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Barca’s reluctance to let go of De Jong defies their current financial standing. The Catalan club have run up debts of £1billion, and yet have continued to sign players throughout the summer, including Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.

Due to La Liga’s strict salary cap rules, Barcelona are currently unable to register any of their new signings to play in domestic fixtures, increasing the need for them to offload De Jong. The situation is further complicated by the Netherlands international being owed €17m in deferred wages.

United sources have insisted that has been the fundamental issue preventing them from completing a transfer. But they may now have been given a helping hand in their pursuit following Barcelona’s latest attempt to generate some cash.

The La Liga giants have announced the sale of 24.5 per cent of their Barca Studios to Socios.com in a deal worth €100m. The sale is described by the club as an attempt to “accelerate the club’s audiovisual,