Man Utd make final transfer decision on Frenkie de Jong as deadline day arrives
Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong has been on Manchester United's radar for some time now, and it looks as if an imminent new arrival will conclude their interest
Manchester United will end their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong in the wake of Manuel Ugarte's imminent arrival - at least in this window.
A dominant midfield force has been top of United's list all summer, and it looks as though they'll finally give Casemiro some respite with Uruguayan ace Ugarte set to sign for a reported £42.2million plus add-ons.
This transfer ends any interest in De Jong, especially considering the vast amount spent on recruiting new forward Joshua Zirkzee, £52m-rated 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro and Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui - both of whom played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.
De Jong and United have been on the verge of crossing paths since the midfielder's Ajax days, but it now looks like the 27-year-old will remain in Spain for the foreseeable future.
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The first reported interaction between United and De Jong occurred in 2018 when United supposedly sent scouts to watch the Dutch ace's first start for his national side.
One year and a Champions League final appearance later, De Jong was the property of Catalan giants Barcelona. The Red Devils were in the running when it became clear Ajax's talented midfielder was set to depart in 2019, but they disappointingly missed out.
However, when De Jong's former boss Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford and Barcelona found themselves in financial disarray, the stars seemingly aligned for United to finally get their man.
This interest culminated in an accepted bid for the Dutchman, rumoured to be in the region of £55m - £10m less than was paid for him three years prior. While it may have been expected that De Jong would welcome such a reunion, quite the opposite happened.
De Jong supposedly became upset at the Spanish club for allowing him to leave, and he refused to agree to any deal, later stating: "The club was in a difficult situation. They were able to sell me for a big fee, and they wanted to do this, but I did not want to leave, so I stayed."
Ten Hag was notably frustrated by the ordeal and revealed to Sky Sports: "It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro. They would really be connected and complementary to each other. That's a typical player. If you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player."
United's interest in De Jong went unwavering until this summer when it became apparent that a new midfielder would be arriving. However, despite a rumoured bid, the club was reportedly rebuffed yet again and have seemingly chosen to settle for Ugarte.
De Jong also reiterated this summer that he is happy to stay in Spain, saying, "Staying at Barca? Yes. Hansi Flick wants me to be key. I talked to him. It was good. I’m very happy in Barcelona with my family, for sure."
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