Manchester United have, late on Thursday evening, seen the club’s ongoing pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong dealt a potentially serious blow.
Recent weeks have of course seen reports linking Dutch international de Jong with an Old Trafford switch move up a notch.
With the former Ajax standout widely understood to have been identified as the no.1 target to reinforce United’s ranks in the middle of the park ahead of next season, talks were officially kicked into gear between the Premier League giants and Barcelona over a potential deal last Friday.
Manchester United have formally opened talks to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong | @JBurtTelegraph #mufc https://t.co/RwV6VG91Lg
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) June 10, 2022
Such negotiations came amid the widespread understanding that de Jong had given his blessing to a move to Manchester, where he would of course link up with the man who oversaw the finest form of his career to date – Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils faithful, in turn, have been left to patiently wait it out for an update on the situation, as their Premier League rivals continue to splash the cash across the early weeks of the summer transfer window.
As alluded to above, though, on Thursday, the hopes of all associated with United of seeing de Jong line out in the club’s famed red colours next season have been dented.
This comes owing to an announcement on the part of Barcelona, regarding the club’s finances.
As confirmed across the club’s social media platforms and official website a short time ago, the Blaugrana’s books have received ‘a very significant boost’.
An Extraordinary General Assembly saw approval forthcoming for the activation of a pair of ‘financial mechanisms’ – to sell up to 49% of BLM (Barça Licensing & Merchandising), and up to 25% of future La Liga TV rights.
The decision is expected to amount to a monetary gain in the region of 600 million euro:
‘FC Barcelona received a very significant boost on Thursday thanks to the majority support from delegate members regarding the Board of Directors’ proposals to ensure the Club returns to a sound financial footing. The virtual Extraordinary General Assembly approved by a clear majority to activate two financial mechanisms to obtain income estimated to be around 600 million euro from both operations. Needed to refloat the Club’s finances, it will provide financial peace of mind with a return to positive equity, enabling the closure of the 2021/22 financial year in profit, and provide the possibility for the investments required to make Barça a competitive team.’
APPROVED!! ✅✅https://t.co/tb5fOrhgS4
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 16, 2022
Such measures will of course mean that the pressure to raise funds for the transfer market through player sales has significantly lessened at the Camp Nou, dealing Manchester United what could prove a serious blow in their ongoing efforts to land Frenkie de Jong.
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