Unable to land Paul Pogba from Manchester United, Barcelona shift focus to Ajax's Frenkie De Jong

Bengaluru, August 9: Barcelona are looking for the next best option after the attempt to sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United did not materialise on deadline day. According to various sources, the Catalan giants will now make a move for 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong in the next few days.

Barcelona have already roped in Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich into their squad in this summer transfer window. While the inclusion of Vidal wil surely strengthened the La Liga title holders, they have also signed Arthur and Malcolm to bolster their defence. That apart, they were able to keep hold of French winger Ousmane Dembele which makes it safe to say that this transfer window has been going well for Barcelona so far.

Few days ago, it was rumoured that Pogba would leave Manchester United over an alleged feud with manager Jose Mourinho. But the Frenchman is going to stay at Manchester United, at least until January, as Mourinho was reluctant to let Paul Pogba go without bringing in a suitable replacement.

‼️ Ajax and Barça have reached an agreement over Frenkie de Jong.

If they don't qualify to the Champions League, Barça can buy him for €50M.

If they do qualify, the move will be postponed until next season.

[SPORT 🥇]

— Culé Source (@CuleSource) August 9, 2018

Manchester United bought Pogba from Juventus in the summer transfer window of 2016-17 season on a transfer deal reportedly worth £105 million. The Frenchman was unable to live up to his price tag and started only 25 games for United in the previous season. According to reports in the United Kingdom, Pogba was set for a move to Barcelona but the Catalans did not make any concrete offer before UK's transfer market closed on Thursday.

Unable to land Pogba, Barca have shifted their interest to sign De Jong from Ajax Amsterdam.

De Jong, a regular starter for Ajax, has played a huge role in helping the Dutch club make the qualification round of the UEFA Champions League.