Man Utd: 'Everything is almost ready' for £71m signing at Old Trafford

Manchester United have had an agreement in place with Barcelona to sign Frenkie de Jong for two weeks, according to Fabrizio Romano.

However, the Premier League outfit are yet to convince the midfielder to make the switch from the Camp Nou to Old Trafford.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently spoke about De Jong’s future and refused to rule out the possibility of the Dutchman still leaving the club despite it being quite clear that he would like to remain in Spain.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CBS Sports, when asked if he could categorically confirm that De Jong will not join United this summer, Laporta said: “In football, you never know. I can’t say categorically. It all depends on the different parties.

“But in principle, I can say there is a strong possibility he stays, and I can say as president I will do my best for him to stay at Barcelona.”

De Jong was a very important player for Barcelona last season, making 45 appearances in all competitions for his side. However, due to the La Liga outfit’s financial problems, his future has come into doubt, with the 25-year-old believed to be the club’s highest earner.

Romano has told GIVEMESPORT that United practically have an €85m (£71m) deal in place to sign De Jong but have not yet been given the go-ahead by the player.

Speaking to GMS, the transfer expert said: “It’s still the same situation. It’s still the same because Manchester United have an agreement ready since two weeks with Barcelona. It’s an agreement for €75m plus 10 in add-ons, so everything is almost ready between the two clubs, but not yet on the player side.”

As well as United, Chelsea are also thought to be keen on De Jong, so this really is anything but a straightforward transfer for the