Manchester United are set for a bullish first transfer window under new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United are set to press ahead with a transfer, despite the target stating they were publicly "angry" with "lies" being made over a proposed move.
With new investment in the club from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and a raft of new changes in official roles, such as Omar Berrada as CEO and Dan Ashworth as sporting director, Manchester United are putting plans in place to try and return former glory.
One player who has been on the club's shortlist for two years, though, is Frenkie De Jong, with the Barcelona midfielder consistently touted for a move away from Catalonia. While speaking to reporters ahead of Barcelona's Champions League clash with Napoli, though, he hit back.
De Jong is "angry" with reports suggesting he'll leave Barca (Image credit: Getty Images)
"The truth is that I am a little angry with what you people [the media] in general write," De Jong said. "Many things come out that are not true, it is irritating me.
"It’s a lot of smoke, a lot of lies, that I’m earning €40 million or so... the truth is that it is far from what I earn. I won’t say figures, but they have invented a story that is not true.
"I am very happy at Barca, it is the club of my dreams. I hope to continue playing for Barca for many years. I am enjoying it a lot. The press sometimes criticise my level, that doesn’t matter because everyone can have their opinion. But I don’t accept lies."
Ratcliffe and Ten Hag will look to bring in De Jong in the summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite De Jong's clear annoyance at reports linking him with moves away from Barcelona, Football Transfershas suggested that Manchester United are considering reigniting their interest in the Dutchman.
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New minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe will look to provide the recruitment department significant funds for the summer transfer window, and De Jong remains towards the top of their shortlist. They'll only pursue the transfer if they're given positive signs of completing a deal, however, which will become clearer in the coming months.
De Jong's contract at Barcelona will have just two years remaining come the summer, with Transfermarktvaluing him at €80m.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
