While Barcelona were able to snap up Frenkie de Jong as easy as it is for Lionel Messi to waltz through a defence and chip the ‘keeper, the Blaugrana are having a lot more difficulty with negotiations regarding his teammate Matthijs de Ligt.
Everything pointed towards the Ajax skipper joining his colleague in Barcelona after it was reported that an agreement between player and club had been reached in April.
However, things have got a little more problematic, with SPORT now saying that Barca’s hopes of landing him are ‘beginning to fade’.
Because of his sensational season, De Ligt and his agent Mino Raiola, recently hit with a three-month worldwide ban but still operating, have demanded an improved contract offer and Barca in turn are not budging.
From their point of view, they feel the original proposal was fair and that the chance to link up with De Jong once again as well as play with the one and only Lionel Messi is of significant value.
But with Raiola doing what he does best, Manchester United have entered the picture and are reportedly offering the 2018 Golden Boy a €14 million-per-year salary, which works out at around £236,000-a-week would make him one of the club’s highest earners straight from the bat.
Barca are not prepared to match such a figure and are instead relying on De Ligt honouring the previous agreement which was in place.
United’s interest in De Ligt has been there for a while but the club reportedly passed up on him over fears he would become “too fat” as he got older.
Scout Marcel Bout, who was brought in by Louis van Gaal but remained working with United when his fellow Dutchman was given the boot in 2016, watched De Ligt extensively and provided regular reports on him.