Because of Manchester City, Manchester United threatened to fail to get Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona

Erik ten Hag wants to reunite with the Barcelona midfielder at Old Trafford, but Man City is present as a variable that makes a deal difficult

Manchester United’s mission to bring in Frenkie de Jong was further complicated by the Barcelona manager, Xavi, who wanted Bernardo Silva from Manchester City as his replacement.

Because of the financial crisis, Barca officials were actually happy to allow De Jong to join Man United for £70 million to be able to reunite with his former boss at Ajax, Erik ten Hag.

Unfortunately, according to claims Daily MailHowever, an agreement was difficult to reach as the Dutch midfielder was reluctant to leave Camp Nou in favor of a team not competing in the European Champions League, and further complicated after Man City refused to sell Bernardo Silva at a discount to Barca.

De Jong, 25, is a priority target for the new manager The Red Devils, Ten Hag, this summer, in his quest to polish the foundations of the Man united squad. However, he insists he is already playing for the club of his dreams.

He said to ESPN: “I prefer to stay with Barcelona. Barcelona is my dream club, since I was little. I already told you.”

“I have never regretted my choice even though I did wish for more achievements. But I have never regretted it.”

Apart from De Jong’s own factor, Xavi wants to secure Bernardo Silva as his successor before releasing the Dutch midfielder to Old Trafford.

Bernardo’s contract at the Etihad runs until 2025, so Man City are in a strong position in negotiations to charge a high price for their Portugal midfielder.

Daily Mail claiming that Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, ​​could have ignored Xavi’s request, but it was a risky gamble given the coach’s status as a legend in Catalunya.