Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag left fuming as transfer pursuit of 25-year-old hits snag: Reports

According to Daily Star, Erik ten Hag has been left frustrated with Barcelona’s decision to not sell Frenkie de Jong.

Manchester United have wasted a total of six weeks negotiating with Barcelona for a £70 million deal for the Dutch midfielder. The club has reportedly agreed to a pay a total of £56 million upfront with a further £14 million in add-ons.

The Red Devils had already discussed personal terms with the 25-year-old but Barcelona have reportedly pulled the plug on the sale.

According to the report, Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the following about De Jong:

“Frenkie is not for sale. He is a Barcelona player. We don't want to transfer him."

Erik ten Hag worked with De Jong at Ajax and was looking forward to reuniting with the Bluagrana midfielder at Old Trafford. The manager reportedly wanted the midfielder to be part of the pre-season tour with Manchester United. However, Barcelona still consider De Jong a big part of their plans for next season.

Manchester United’s transfer window needs a miracle in the coming days

The summer transfer window is simply not going according to plan for the Red Devils. They have lost out on multiple long-term targets, including the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Erling Haaland, both of whom have joined derby rivals Manchester City. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata have all left the club but no replacements have been signed.

As far as signings are concerned, 22-year-old left-back Tyrell Malacia, who in all probability will be the third choice behind Alex Telles and Luke Shaw, has arrived. Finally, club legend Cristiano Ronaldo has grown frustrated by Manchester United's lack of transfer activity as well and has reportedly told the club that he wants to leave before the window ends.

The club has no plans to sign a replacement for Ronaldo and might have to rely on Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as their strikers, at least until January. Rashford’s form was poor last season and Anthony Martial scored a grand total of one goal during his loan spell at Sevilla.

If signings are not made quickly, the club might find itself in a world of trouble. It is safe to say that the era of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United has not gone off to the best of starts.