Frenkie de Jong seems to have kept the door open for a switch to other clubs despite admitting the fact that he is happy with Barcelona. He was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League last summer, with Manchester United showing their interest to rope in the Dutch midfielder. Back then, the Old Trafford hierarchy shelled out a staggering offer worth £70million including add-ons for De Jong. Barcelona had almost shown a thumbs-up to the deal but the footballer was adamant to stay in the La Liga.
With De Jong hinting towards a future transfer, it can see Manchester United once again go after the former Ajax man, whom Erik Ten Hag coached for 18 months while managing the Eredivisie club. During a recent interaction with the Dutch outlet NOS, De Jong described Barcelona as his dream club, saying, “I am at the club where I always wanted to be.”
The 26-year-old was then asked if he would like to experience the challenges of a new club in future. In response, De Jong said, “Possibly. But I’m very satisfied with Barca. It’s always difficult to say. For now, I feel good here.”
Recognised as a huge admirer of De Jong, Ten Hag was eager to orchestrate a reunion soon after taking up the managerial job at Manchester United in 2022. The Premier League side even came up with an offer in the region of £56million. The deal, however, ultimately collapsed as Manchester United roped in Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to boast their midfield.
As De Jong was in no mood to part ways with Barcelona, he was left “very upset” with how his club handled the transfer saga. According to a report by Sport, De Jong was not happy with the fact that the La Liga giants wanted to get rid of him and it unquestionably affected his relationship with the club.
Before Manchester United could sit with the Barcelona officials in May 2023, Erik Ten Tag spoke about his relationship with De Jong, saying, “In 2019, there was a lot of fascination with that Ajax team. Frenkie brought a lot of that fascination and he developed over the following years in Spain. He’s a fantastic player and has become even better. Playing out from the back, he always has time. It was a pleasure working with him. He would strengthen any squad in the world. He’s got a unique quality.”
Speaking about his career with Barcelona, De Jong has made 195 appearances across all competitions since joining the Spanish side in January 2019. He has netted 16 goals while providing 21 assists.
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