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Man City prepared to miss out on Frenkie de Jong rather than get pulled into bidding war
Manchester City are increasingly determined to avoid being dragged into bidding wars for players as the Premier League champions face up to the prospect of missing out on rising Ajax star Frenkie De Jong.
Paris St-Germain have emerged as the new favourites, ahead of City and Barcelona, to sign the 21-year-old Holland midfielder in a £67 million deal that could rise with add ons.
City or Barcelona had appeared De Jong’s most likely destination after lengthy pursuits but PSG’s interest has pushed the player’s price even higher.
If PSG do succeed in gazumping City and Barcelona, it is expected that De Jong would see out the remainder of this season at Ajax before leaving in the summer.
Pep Guardiola, the City manager, has been eager to sign De Jong and bolster his midfield options but the club - who long stood accused of artificially inflating the transfer market with their largesse - are showing greater reluctance to get drawn into price wars with rivals.
Some will view that as an attempt to save face over missed targets but City backed out of a move for Alexis Sanchez after balking at the Chile striker’s exorbitant wage demands amid fears it would obliterate their salary structure and cause disharmony in the dressing room.
Sanchez instead joined Manchester United 12 months ago and his £500,000 a week wages have since led to the club’s other top stars, such as David De Gea and Anthony Martial, demanding huge pay increases.
City also stepped away from a deal for Brazil midfielder, Fred, last year, when United declared their interest. It is thought City were reluctant to pay more than £40 million for a player who eventually moved to Old Trafford for £52 million.
Virgil Van Dijk’s desire was always to join Liverpool from Southampton but the Manchester club had little intention of matching their Merseyside rival’s £75 million offer for the Holland centre-half last January.
And last summer, City lost out to Chelsea for Jorginho, when the Italy midfielder opted to join his former Napoli coach, Maurizio Sarri, at Stamford Bridge in a £50 million deal. But City did not raise their offer in the hope of changing Jorginho’s mind after resolving that they only wanted to sign players who were completely committed to joining them.
It is a sea-change in attitude from the days when City admitted they had to overpay to entice players. Guardiola hinted at the club’s greater caution earlier this week.
“We have in every position four or five or six options - depending on age, what we believe and, of course, the price,” the City manager said. “The most expensive signing [the club has made] was Riyad Mahrez and [at £60 million] he is far away from what the top teams pay.
“Our wage bill for the players is eighth, ninth or tenth in Europe, so there are eight or nine clubs where the wages are higher than what Manchester City pay. We try to be stable in everything.
“When we spent a lot last season, it was because the team was old but we cannot do it every season. We have a limit and cannot spend more so that’s why we need to be careful with the players and try next season to see what we can do to improve.”