Barcelona ‘considering leaving Frenkie De Jong AT HOME for their pre-season tour’

Barcelona are weighing up whether to take Frenkie de Jong on their pre-season tour, according to reports, as they look to offload the midfielder to Manchester United.

The squad will set out tomorrow for the United States and, as it stands, it is uncertain whether De Jong, who has been told to leave the club, will also be on the plane.

As reported by Sportsmail yesterday, a £63million fee has now been agreed with the Old Trafford side, and the deal could also rise by a further £8.5m in add-ons.

However, De Jong is in a stand-off with Barcelona over the £17m in deferred wages and bonuses he is still owed, and he reportedly remains keen to stay in Catalonia.

Mundo Deportivo have now shed light on another potential twist in the saga, with the Blaugrana having not decided whether the 25-year-old will accompany them.

The final call will lie with boss Xavi, who has not held talks with the hierarchy over taking De Jong on tour, meaning that every possible scenario is on the table.

The midfielder is being pressured to leave the club, with Manchester United agreeing a deal

The same outlet, however, has added that the squad list will be revealed on the same day they leave, and it may be difficult for the manager not to take De Jong with them.

Barcelona are keen to sell the Holland international to reduce their excessive wage bill, which has led to complications in registering signings in recent windows.

United, in their attempts to finally wrap up the deal, despatched football director John Murtough and CEO Richard Arnold to Barcelona to try to thrash out a fee.

And while they have finally come to an agreement over the financial package, De Jong is still to be convinced to make the switch to the Premier League giants. 

United CEO Richard Arnold (above) was pictured in Spain attempting to wrap up the transfer

De Jong, seen in training this week, is in a stand-off with his club over £17m in deferred wages

Earlier this week, De Jong was told that he would need to either agree to a pay cut on his £5m-a-year wages, or leave the club due to their financial headache.

It also emerged that Barcelona asked the star to defer £17m of his wages, and this has become a stumbling block as De Jong wants the matter to be resolved.

He does not appear to have a future in Spain, with Xavi not viewing him as a defensive midfielder. He also feels he has sufficient options to replace him.

Meanwhile, United have reached an agreement with Ajax over Lisandro Martinez.

Erik ten Hag identified the Dutchman as one of his priority targets for his Old Trafford rebuild

Discussions between the two clubs were moving in the right direction over the course of the week, with Edwin van der Sar helping negotiations along.

Ajax rejected United’s offer from last week of £42.5m including add-ons, but were willing to accept a new proposal after holding more lengthy talks.

Martinez made it clear to his current club that he wanted to leave once he became aware of interest from Arsenal then United, and has spoken to Erik ten Hag.