The Daily Mail are the culprits this time, claiming that United have actually lodged a substantial bid for the Dutch international.
The outlet reports that “United have reignited their interest in … De Jong after having an opening £42.7m (€50m) bid rejected, but the LaLiga giants are willing to sell, according to reports.”
The Mail does not specify the source of those reports, which hardly adds any credibility to the story.
The report further claims that “Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants to recoup as much of their initial outlay as possible and has slapped a £60m asking price on the midfielder along with an additional £8.5m in add-ons.”
It is almost certainly true that Barça are desperate to sell players and De Jong would be the ideal departure, given his extortionate wages and ability to command a decent figure.
However, the idea that United would go straight in with a €50 million bid seems highly unlikely unless it was structured, for example, €40 million plus €10m in bonuses. It also seems highly probable that Barça would snap their hand off if they did bid €50 million in cash, given the circumstances.
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