Frenkie de Jong must know that Manchester United can offer him something Barcelona can't

John Murtough is meeting Adrien Rabiot's mother, Veronique, to discuss personal terms over a potential transfer on Friday, but there can be no ignoring the fact that he is not the midfielder Manchester United want the most before deadline day.

United's prolonged pursuit of Frenkie de Jong remains the defining deal of the summer window, and time is quickly running out if they are to finally complete it, with the saga edging ever closer to the 100-day mark.

United have not made any progress on their move for the Dutchman since chief executive Richard Arnold and football director Murtough flew to Barcelona four weeks ago. They'll hope the meeting with Rabiot's mother will be a lot more productive.

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United agreed a fee of €85million for De Jong last month but are considering other midfielders due to an impasse caused by the Dutchman's wage deferral at Barcelona.

A move for Juventus midfielder Rabiot would by no means end their pursuit of De Jong, but a deal to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic most certainly would. United are considering a €68million for the Lazio star as they frantically look to add a progressive midfielder to their squad.

Barcelona begin their new season against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and unless they can shift existing players' salaries or sell some more commercial rights, a whole host of players will not be able to play in the match.

At this moment in time, summer additions Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde are yet to be registered, and neither is Pablo Torre, who they agreed to sign in March. Barcelona have also not been able to re-register Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto, who both signed new deals