Perhaps the longest and probably the murkiest transfer saga of the summer has reached its end. According to Sport, Manchester United have now accepted that their number one target, Frenkie de Jong, will not be moving to Old Trafford this summer.
News of their interest first broke in mid-May as the season came to a close. Although the two clubs did manage to reach an agreement over a transfer fee in early July, the deal stalled when it came to negotiations with de Jong.
In spite of Barcelona’s best efforts to make an exit seem more appealing and United’s best attempts to sell de Jong on their project, the Dutch midfielder remained steadfast in his rejection. The Red Devils seemingly believe that de Jong will stay at Barcelona come what may this summer.
It is little surprise that this news has broken shortly after the story that United are interested in Casemiro emerged. It does once again raise questions about United’s transfer ambitions though, as both bring different qualities to their positions.
Image via James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
