Manchester United have “officially withdrawn” their €85m (£72m) bid for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to De Telegraaf journalist Marcel van der Kraan.

The reporter claims that a deadline for de Jong to accept the proposal on the table has passed so United have decided to pull out.

“Manchester United have officially withdrawn their offer to Barcelona… This €85m bid has been on the table for weeks and there was a deadline on it. This deadline has now gone past, and before the deadline, Manchester United had to take a decision. They have said ‘ok, we withdraw the entire package for everything we’ve ever agreed’.”

However, van der Kraan was keen to emphasise that this decision doesn’t necessarily mean United won’t go back in with another bid for the player in the future:

“It means that there is a whole new starting point. Will Manchester United make a new offer? Maybe one which is more extended. Maybe, it could cover some of Frenkie’s demands? I doubt it… It could also mean that they will not make another offer at all.”

As van der Kraan points out, the root cause of the move stalling is down to de Jong’s deferred wages. He wants Barca to pay out in full before even considering leaving the Camp Nou.

Chelsea are also said to be keen on the Dutch international but they have also hit the same brick wall as United, so we shall see if there are any new developments over the coming days and weeks.