ALL GONE JONG FOR GUARDIOLA OVER £66M
PEP GUARDIOLA is furious that Manchester City are on the brink of losing Frenkie de Jong to Paris St Germain after launching a charm offensive to land the Dutch wonderkid. Guardiola believed Ajax midfielder De Jong was Etihad-bound after having a secret three-hour meeting last month with the 21-year-old in London. City officials were scheduled to fly to Amsterdam last Thursday to complete a deal that would see them pay £66.8million next summer. But less than 24 hours before talks were due to take place, the Premier League champions informed the Dutch giants that they wished to put the transfer on ice. That opened the door for a PSG delegation – led by sporting director Antero Henrique and his Brazilian assistant Maxwell – to gazump Guardiola with a dash to Holland The belief in Amsterdam is that City’s financial might has been weakened by recent allegations regarding the club’s position on Financial Fair Play. UEFA have promised to investigate the club again following claims by Football Leaks that City’s Abu Dhabi owners were financing many of the club’s sponsorship deals themselves. And it’s been suggested, by sources close to Ajax, that City are reluctant to commit themselves to any more major outlays until they are officially in the clear. Guardiola is said to be “angry and frustrated” that another top target looks like slipping the net. Over the past year, City have lost out to PSG, Manchester United and Chelsea for Dani Alves, Alexis Sanchez, Fred and Jorginho (right). Guardiola felt his personal intervention with De Jong would win the day, despite interest from fellow giants PSG, Barcelona and Bayern. The Holland midfielder was so set on working with the Catalan that he told friends he was ready to ditch his childhood dream of plying his trade at the Nou Camp to move to Manchester. Now he seems destined for Paris. City have spent the last 12 months searching for a successor for 33-year-old Fernandinho. And after missing out on Fred and Jorginho, we revealed in September that De Jong had emerged as their No.1 target. Ajax were already resigned to losing their star next summer, and when City agreed to match their asking price, the deal seemed a fait accompli. De Jong was hugely impressed when Guardiola invited him to England for talks about his proposed role in the team after gaining permission from Ajax. And on his return he instructed his club to finalise a transfer that would smash the Eredivisie transfer record, set in 2017 when Spurs paid Ajax £40m for Davinson Sanchez. De Jong was shocked when Ajax told him on Wednesday that City Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain had gone cold on the deal. PSG, urged by their scouting staff to beat City to De Jong following his outstanding Nations League performance against World champions France and Germany, saw a window of opportunity. They offered to pay De Jong £100,000a-week AFTER tax. He currently earns £8,900a-week. But it was PSG’S determination to seal the deal now that impressed De Jong most, as well as the opportunity to play alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Parisians still have to conclude a financial agreement with Ajax to get their man.