Man Utd: Sky Sports reporter drops Frenkie de Jong claim at Old Trafford

Manchester United may have to wait until after the 2022-23 season begins before they know whether they will sign Frenkie de Jong or not, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Erik ten Hag is in the midst of an overhaul at Old Trafford and a new midfielder is high on his list of priorities with his former Ajax star heavily linked.

A report from The Athletic this week stated that United had agreed a £63 million transfer fee with Barcelona for the sale of De Jong as they look to offload the Dutchman’s £250,000-per-week wages. 

But things are rarely that simple with Barcelona these days and this situation is no different with De Jong not wanting to leave until he has deferred wages repaid to him.

The 25-year-old, along with the rest of the squad, took a pay cut in the pandemic to ensure day-to-day running of the club could continue. 

Now, however, De Jong believes he is owed £17 million by the club in deferred wages, potentially creating a complication for United as well. 

To add further stress to the Red Devils, reports from Spain this week suggested that the player would rather join Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea project than move to United this summer. 

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sheth said: “The season starts on the fifth. And the window doesn’t close until the 31st. I’ve got a feeling that once the season starts, we could still yet be talking about Frenkie de Jong and whether he’s going to move to United or not.”

These are stressful times for United supporters, many of whom have been pleading with the club to add some more creativity and class to their midfield ranks for years. 

While De Jong represents the perfect recruit to add those qualities, waiting on this incredibly complex situation with Barcelona to play out