Frenkie de Jong ‘determined to stay’ at Barcelona, despite Man United agreement

At this point, you have to laugh...

The last time we checked, Frenkie de Jong looked poised to become a Manchester United player. After weeks of haggling, a deal had apparently been struck with Barcelona, who were willing to cash in on the former Ajax midfielder to help ease the club's financial troubles. Erik ten Hag looked set to be reunited with his man, who would play a key role in attempts to make United look something like a competent football side once again. Naturally, given how this thing seems to have dragged on, there now appears to be another (pretty significant) twist: De Jong, according to reports, isn't too fussed about leaving.

De Jong 'determined' to stay at Barca

Sport claim De Jong is refusing to leave Barca, where he is said to be 'determined to succeed'. Despite being forced towards the exit door, he has made it known to club officials that he wants to stay. The report even goes as far as saying the midfielder has become irritated by his own agent, Ali Dursun, who is said to be attempting to push him towards Old Trafford. Should De Jong's stance not change, the move to Manchester could collapse. Now, you'd think in a situation like this the chasing club would've been given some kind of assurance from the player that they were willing to make the move before negotiations began. Even by United's recent reputation for bungling transfers, it seems a bit of a stretch that they would waste weeks chasing a target only to discover when they've finally reached an agreement that he doesn't fancy it. Whether there's any truth to it remains to be seen, but clarity is expected to come by the end of the week. Buckle in. Something tells us this one *still* has a fair bit to go. Related links:

• Frenkie de Jong ‘clears out locker’ ahead of Man United move
• Frenkie de Jong delivers blow to Man United transfer hopes
• Erik ten Hag ‘convinces’ Frenkie de Jong his future lies at Man United