Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has provided an update on a potential summer move to Manchester United.
De Jong was heavily linked with a move to Man Utd last summer and many expected him to be one of Erik ten Hag’s first signings at Old Trafford. The pair worked together at Ajax, and de Jong was one of the stars of the side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19.
While De Jong wanted to stay at Barcelona, the Blaugrana were looking to ship as many of their high earners out as possible in order to be able to register newer players. De Jong hadn’t had the best time at Barcelona, losing his way in their midfield three, but there had been some signs of the 2018/19 De Jong.
In the end, De Jong stayed, and he has been a key member of the Barcelona squad currently sitting 12 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table. The Dutchman has started 20 of Barcelona’s 26 league games so far, with three of the six games he didn’t start coming in the first month of the campaign when his future was still in doubt.
Across his 24 appearances in La Liga, De Jong has completed 90.68% of his passes, with 366 final third passes completed and 1,717 touches at the heart of the midfield. He’s created 30 chances and also won possession in the middle third 80 times, the fourth-highest tally in La Liga.
At the weekend, De Jong played the full 90 minutes to run the midfield as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 to take a huge step towards the league title. He completed more passes than any other player on the pitch, the most final third passes, had more touches than any other player, created the most chances and had the most interceptions.
It was a performance Man Utd fans would have been hoping he could put in for their team, perhaps even dreaming of having De Jong alongside Casemiro next season. However, De Jong has once again reiterated his desire to stay at Barcelona – though didn’t completely rule out a move.
“No, I don’t think I’m going to make that step,” he told Ziggo Sport when asked directly about a move to Man Utd in the summer.
“You never know, of course, but at the moment I am very happy at Barcelona.”
Of his season and improvements under Xavi, De Jong added: “In recent months I have been given a lot of freedom by the coach to get the ball and find my own spaces.
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“From the summer to now a lot has changed, it is a lot better now. It gives a lot of satisfaction to be able to play like this. I play almost every game and I am very happy here.”
De Jong’s latest comments come just days after he spoke of his desire to play at the new Nou Camp, when it is completed, calling Barcelona the club of his dreams.
“Hopefully I can play in the new Camp Nou. Barcelona has always been the club of my dreams and I want to stay here for many years,” he told TV3.
“For me, the Camp Nou is the most beautiful stadium in the world. The plans for the stadium are very good.”