£63 million former Manchester United target was ‘upset’ with club chiefs as Ten Hag pushed for move

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Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong was reportedly upset with the Spanish giants after his move to Manchester United failed to materialise.

Manchester United’s attempts to sign Frenkie De Jong turned out to be the saga of the summer back in 2022 and the deal was seemingly close to being completed with Barcelona.

Erik ten Hag’s side agreed a £63 million fee with Barcelona according to The Athletic but couldn’t reach an agreement on personal terms with the Dutch midfielder, who made a name for himself under Ten Hag at Ajax.

As the weeks went on, it became patently clear that De Jong was not keen on the move to Manchester and SPORT have more on just what went on back in 2022.

De Jong’s frustrations with Barcelona

The report from the Spanish outlet details how frustrated the Dutch midfielder was with Barcelona as he wanted to stay throughout the entire saga.

Barcelona, however, were keen to sell De Jong due to their financial struggles, so the 26-year-old was put in a tough situation.

The midfielder was so frustrated with the Spanish giants that he was delaying signing a new contract with Xavi’s side if he were to be offered one.

Now, however, the tensions between the pair have seemingly ‘calmed down’ and De Jong is a key component for Barcelona, with the club’s sporting director Deco describing him as ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’.

United missed out on De Jong’s quality

One thing is clear after United’s pursuit of the midfielder, the club missed out big time on one of the best midfielders in Europe and the signing of De Jong could have been revolutionary for the Red Devils.

A midfielder who is composed under pressure, can recycle the ball and move it through the thirds with his superb dribbling abilities would have been sensational.

Apart from Christian Eriksen, United don’t have that type of profile in their midfield and a player like De Jong is sorely missed.

However, the United hierarchy and Ten Hag will have to file the signing of the Dutch midfielder under the category of what could have been.