Barcelona chief details €100m Frenkie de Jong bid amid Manchester United transfer interest

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said that the Spanish club "did well" not to sell midfielder Frenkie de Jong last summer amid Manchester United's interest in his signature.

United identified De Jong as their leading midfield target ahead of last summer's transfer window officially opening. Manager Erik ten Hag wanted to be reunited with the Netherlands international after he had worked with him at Ajax.

After several weeks of negotiations and talks between the two clubs, United agreed a deal in principle with Barcelona at the end of June. The Reds were understood to have agreed an initial price of €65million (£56.14m) plus add-ons.

However, in the end, the deal broke down because of complications at the Barcelona end, with De Jong owed £17m in deferred wages. United eventually switched their attention to Real Madrid ace Casemiro and signed him in August, finally ending their search for a world-class central-midfielder.

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Twelve months on, Barcelona chief Laporta, who recently played a key role in the Spanish club capturing former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan, has claimed that they received an offer of €100m from an unnamed club, meaning it was difficult for the club to resist the temptation of cashing-in.

"Last year we had €100m offer for Frenkie de Jong… and we did well not selling him," Laporta told Onze TV3. "There are players who should not be on the market."

De Jong, who played a key role in Barcelona's successful 2022/23 campaign, racking up 43 appearances in all competitions, has continued to be linked with a move to Old Trafford over the past 12 months. However, those rumours ought to start dispersing after the club agreed a £60m fee