Former England international Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that Frenkie de Jong will not join Manchester United if he decides to leave Barcelona this summer. According to the Englishman, the 25-year-old would rather sign for Bayern Munich or Chelseaclubs that could give him the opportunity to win the biggest trophies.
Erik ten Hag’s side have long been interested in signing De Jong from Barcelona. The club reportedly has an agreement for an €85 deal with Barcelona, but the player himself remains reluctant to leave the Catalan capital.
Speaking on talkSPORT (via the Express), Agbonlahor gave his two cents on the De Jong saga, explaining why United might have a hard time signing him. He said:
“I’ve been talking about Manchester United not being as much of a pull for a while now and Man United fans don’t like it. They can’t handle the straight facts. De Jong, if he’s leaving Barcelona, he doesn’t want to go to Manchester United. There are quotes that have come out that he would rather Bayern Munich, he would rather Chelsea.”
He added:
“Because if I’m choosing a team in the Premier League and I’ve got the chance of Chelsea or Manchester United, I’m choosing Chelsea. I’m in London, I’ve got Thomas Tuchel who’s won the Champions League recently, you’re playing Champions League football this season, you’ve got a better squad of players.”
According to Agbonlahor, Cristiano Ronaldo’s uncertain future, the poor form of some top stars and Paul Pogba’s departure would discourage De Jong from moving to United. He added:
“Manchester United have got Ronaldo who doesn’t want to be there, he’s not turned up for pre-season. You’ve got players that aren’t performing. You’ve lost top players like Pogba. They’ve got problems and it’s going to take them a while to get a chance of winning the Premier League or the Champions League.”
He continued:
“Does De Jong want to go from Barcelona, who will be playing Champions League football, to Manchester United, who aren’t going to be?” And they’ve got problems at their club. He will choose Bayern or Chelsea or stay at Barcelona.”
Chelsea are waiting for Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong to change his mind
While United find themselves in a rut in the De Jong chase, their Premier League rivals Chelsea could potentially end up luring the midfielder away from under their rivals’ noses.
According to Fabrizio Romano (via Caught Offside), the Blues have long been interested in the Dutchman. However, they will not make a move until De Jong agrees to leave Camp Nou.
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Stamford Bridge could prove to be a more lucrative destination for De Jong than Old Trafford. Not only would the Dutchman join a more stable team, but he will also be able to compete in the Champions League next season, something he will not be able to do at United.
Given De Jong has almost four years remaining on his contract (June 2026), Thomas Tuchel’s side might have to make an eye-popping offer to reach an agreement with the Blaugrana.