D-day for Frenkie de Jong: a deal between Man United and Barcelona expected | OneFootball

Today is likely to be the day Manchester United fans have been waiting for as the club is poised to finally reach an agreement with Barcelona over the transfer of Frenkie de jong.

Whilst a later deal would still be possible, Barça’s complicated financial situation means that they are desperate to finalize the transfer by the end of this month.

Allowing time for personal terms to be agreed, a medical to be completed and paperwork to be prepared and signed, today is the most likely day for the white smoke to appear from the chimney.

A consensus seems to have been reached in the English, Dutch and Spanish press that a deal is extremely close even though the figures quoted vary from report to report.

Was United’s second bid €65 million or £65 million? Are Barcelona still holding out for €80 million plus bonuses or a package totalling €80 million? Or €85 million?

One of the most reliable of sources, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, tweeted yesterday that:

“After €65m new verbal bid, Barça ask for €85/86m fee.

“The agreement is finally getting closer as clubs are in talks about add-ons to reach €85m full package. Work in progress between clubs.”

It is a given that Barça will want as large a part of the fee to be in the cash portion as balancing the books by month end is their priority. The add-ons are probably of little interest to them at this stage.

This could help United to keep the overall value of the deal a little lower than it would have been, with figures in the region of €70 – €75m cash and a small variables figure surely being enough.

If United finalise the deal for the 25 year old, it could trigger a cascade effect in terms of other signings. Free agent Christian Eriksen is rumoured to be waiting to confirm De Jong’s arrival before committing his own future to United.

In addition, the final figure paid could determine how much is left in the transfer kitty to pursue other targets, with Ajax’s Antony and Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt expensive targets who could potentially be captured if the De Jong fee stays low.