Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is no longer available for transfer from the Spanish giants.
As reported in Spanish media outlet SPORT, De Jong is now seen as “untransferable”, after coming close to leaving the Catalan club in the summer.
The Dutchman looked a certainty to depart Barcelona to link up with former coach Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, with the Barca hierarchy happy to let the player leave.
But after weeks and weeks of negotiations, the transfer fell through with the issue of De Jong’s deferred wages owed from the COVID-19 period, cited as the reason for the deal collapsing.
After a sticky start to the season, which included either not playing or filling in at centre-half, De Jong now looks set to stay at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona manager Xavi has recently found a place for De Jong in his midfield and sees the Dutchman as the long-term successor to club captain, Sergio Busquets.
The financial situation is still unclear at Barca with the deployment of the Dutch international in the Busquet’s role designed to save them going into the market to replace the outgoing star.
After missing out on De Jong, United have played Christian Eriksen in the heart of their midfield, with the Dane impressing in the majority of his outings.
However, Ten Hag remains a keen admirer of De Jong and it’s easy to see how the 25-year-old would slot into the side at Old Trafford.
It’s unknown if Ten Hag has given up on signing the player but the news coming out of the Camp Nou that he is now not for sale will serve as a blow.
Any approach will be on hold until the end of the season, with United’s eyes firmly fixed on replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in the January window.
Ten Hag’s men are currently enjoying a fine run of form with the FA Cup win over Everton last night stretching their winning run to 7 games, in all competitions.
Next up, United will be aiming to reach the EFL Cup semi-final in their next outing against Charlton, before the massive Premier League double header against Manchester City and Arsenal, respectively.
