Ten Hag devastated as ‘direct contact’ begins to take Man Utd target further out of reach than ever

Samuel Bannister 29 Sep 2023 1:23 PM

Frenkie de Jong is out of reach for Erik ten Hag

Any hopes Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag still has of reuniting with Frenkie de Jong at the club appear to be over after Barcelona began discussing a new contract with the midfielder.

Ever since Ten Hag became Man Utd manager last summer, there has been intense speculation that De Jong could link up with him at Old Trafford after their previous connection at Ajax. However, the Netherlands international has always seemed to prefer staying at Barcelona.

Even when the club have tried selling him, De Jong has stayed put. Now, the situation is transforming and Barcelona are ready to put a definitive end to any previous plans they had to part company with him – just days after it was claimed Man Utd remain interested.

Indeed, De Jong has cemented his importance under Xavi and Barcelona want to guarantee he remains with them for the remainder of his prime years.

According to Mundo Deportivo, ‘direct contact’ is now underway between Deco, who is Barcelona’s sporting director, and De Jong to discuss an update to his contract.

As things stand, Barcelona have De Jong under contract until 2026. However, they now want to renew his stay until 2028. By then, he would be 31 years old, so the proposed new deal could cover the peak years of his career.

Still only 26, De Jong will likely surpass the milestone of 200 appearances for Barcelona by the end of the calendar year. And by the end of the season, he could have earned himself a new contract.

De Jong fully settled at Barcelona

Happy on and off the pitch in Barcelona, the midfielder looks to be firmly out of reach for Ten Hag, who chose to reunite with another of his former players – ex-Utrecht man Sofyan Amrabat – to bolster the Man Utd midfield this summer.

Mason Mount was another addition to the territory from Chelsea, while Fred left for Fenerbahce.

Man Utd and Barcelona would have been willing to do business for De Jong at €100m, the report confirms, but he is no longer on the table and will be aiming to add more medals to his cabinet after winning La Liga last season.

Manchester United Barcelona Frenkie de Jong