By Betsefy
Erik ten Hag‘s desire to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has reportedly held up Manchester United‘s transfer business.
The Red Devils have been pursuing the Netherlands international throughout the summer, with Ten Hag believing the player he once managed at Ajax has the capabilities to be a leader in the United dressing room.
However, the 25-year-old is not prepared to give up £17m in deferred wages he is owed from Barcelona to complete a move to Old Trafford, despite United agreeing a fee in the region of £72m with the La Liga club.
According to the Mirror, Ten Hag is refusing to give up on his pursuit for De Jong – who is also attracting interest from Chelsea – which has prevented United from signing other targets.
The United boss is worried that attempting to make other additions could take funds away from the budget to complete the De Jong deal should the player agree to leave Camp Nou.
Although the rumoured deal for Adrien Rabiot would not affect the budget too much due to the relatively low £15m fee, a move for Cody Gakpo would require significant funds that would have to be raised by selling players if the Red Devils sign De Jong.
