Man Utd ‘open negotiations’ with £180m quartet as they tell De Jong they ‘won’t wait’
Man Utd have opened talks with four players ahead of the summer transfer window as they send a warning to Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
The Red Devils could be set for a busy summer now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to buy 25 per cent of the club from the Glazers has gone through.
Ratcliffe is now expected to take charge of football operations at Man Utd with the new co-owner looking to improve recruitment at the club after a decade of bad transfer decisions.
There had been rumours that Ratcliffe’s first summer transfer budget was set to be ‘severely squeezed’ by their spending in previous windows but a fresh report has insisted that there will be a ‘significant transfer spend’.
One player they are already being linked with is Barcelona’s De Jong with speculation that he wants to leave the Catalan giants this summer.
De Jong has come out and insisted that he hopes to “continue playing” for Barcelona for “many years” dismissing rumours that he wants to leave.
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“My future? The truth is that I’m a bit p*ssed off with what you people [journalists] write in general! A lot of things are coming out that are not true, it’s irritating me,” De Jong told reporters earlier this week.
De Jong added: “What you say about my salary is very far from reality. Figures have been invented that are not true. I am very happy at Barça and I hope to continue playing here for many years.
“Everything that is said in the media about my salary and my future are lies. It’s a lot of smoke.
“I know that a lot of things are made up in the media, you write things that are not true. You are doing it in general with a lot of players, coaches even. You can’t do that, you are making things up. Stop this.
“I consider the club to be my teammates, the staff, I’m enjoying it a lot… The media sometimes criticise my level, it doesn’t matter because everyone can have their own opinion. But I don’t accept lies. Don’t lie.”
And now Spanish publication Nacional claim that Man Utd have told De Jong they ‘will not wait’ for him to make a decision over his future with the Netherlands international still a ‘priority target’ for the Red Devils.
The Premier League side ‘have already begun planning next season’s squad, and have many other objectives’ with Man Utd ‘opening negotiations’ with Bayer Leverkusen over four of their players, worth £180m.
Victor Boniface (£34m), Exequiel Palacios (£51m), Jeremie Frimpong (£34m) and Edmond Tapsoba (£61m) are already been targeted as Ratcliffe looks to get their summer transfers right.
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