Barcelona's $102M Star Could Reject Manchester United Move Due To 'Bad Weather'

FC Barcelona superstar Frenkie de Jong could reject a move to Manchester United or Bayern Munich because of "bad weather," the player’s father said.

Barcelona are struggling financially and are seeing the sale of de Jong as a chance to clear some funds. The Dutch midfielder’s father, John de Jong, has confirmed that at least five top European clubs are interested in securing his son, including Manchester United and Bayern Munich. However, Frenkie’s father does not see his son leaving Camp Nou any time soon.

In an interview with Dutch media outlet Algemeen Dagblad, John was asked about his son’s links with Manchester United and Bayern Munich. John replied, "It's often bad weather there. Of course, it's about football, but it does matter."

Earlier it was reported that when Barcelona offered Manchester United a chance to sign Philippe Coutinho, the Red Devils rejected the proposal and had instead asked for Frenkie.

Frenkie, who is contracted with Barcelona until 2026, moved from Ajax to the La Liga side at $97 million in the summer of 2019. The Netherlands national has established himself as a key figure at Barcelona, even though he has won only one trophy with the Spanish club – Copa del Rey in 2020-21. Frenkie is currently the most valued player in La Liga with a market value of around $102 million, according to Transfermarkt.

"Of course, I know that Barcelona needs money and a great offer for Frenkie could help, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Although, the five top European clubs have all called," Frenkie’s father added in the same interview.

Despite having a slow season, Frenkie is still a regular starter at Barcelona, having made 19 appearances for the club in the 2021-22 season, which includes 12 starts from 13 league games.

The 24-year-old midfielder has scored only one goal and two assists as Barcelona are placed eighth in the La Liga table. The Catalans even suffered an exit from the Champions League earlier this season as they have been dropped down to Europa League, the second-tier European competition in soccer.

It has also been reported that Barcelona’s new head coach Xavi Hernandez rates upcoming midfielders Pedri and Gavi highly and believes they can fill in any gap created Frenkie’s departure.