Manchester United give up on €80m agreement to sign Frenkie de Jong

Manchester United will have to abandon their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong after prioritising a move for Ajax winger Antony. Erik ten Hag is desperate to strengthen his forward line before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline, and has put the Brazilian on top of his wanted list.

The Red Devils have had an €80 million agreement with FC Barcelona for De Jong since the start of the summer transfer window. The Netherlands international's reluctance to leave Camp Nou for Old Trafford has been a major obstacle for either club to get the deal completed.

The 20-time English champions were expected to pursue De Jong until the end of the transfer window, while also focusing on other targets. United have signed four players thus far, including Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, and Casemiro from Real Madrid for a combined £127 million.

The Dutch coach now wants the club's attention focused on completing a deal for Antony, who is valued by Ajax at €100 million (£84.5m). United had an initial £67.5 million bid rejected by the Eredivisie club, but are now expected to return with a renewed offer closer to their valuation in the coming days.

"Manchester United have communicated to Antony and his camp their plan to submit a new official proposal to get the deal done as soon as possible. Man Utd will do their best to sign Antony, total priority," as per Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazil international, who has scored 25 goals in 82 appearances, is pushing for a move and showed his discontent to the club by skipping training sessions this week. Antony's agents are in England having already agreed a five-year deal as they wait for the two clubs to reach an agreement over the transfer fee.

According to Sky Sports' transfer insider Dharmesh Sheth, United will be forced to abandon a move for De Jong should a move for Antony come to fruition in the coming days. The only way for the Premier League giants to finance both transfers will be to dip into their transfer reserve for future windows.

"If Antony was to come, at the price of £80m or more, it would not be financially viable to do a deal for Frankie De Jong, I'm told," Sheth said on Sky Sports.

Because United will have spent so much money, they've got a budget like every other club, it's not a bottomless pit. What might have to happen if it was even to materialise, would be that United would have to change the terms and go into future transfer budgets," he added.