Barcelona’s star midfielder Frenkie De Jong who probably fills up most of Manchester United gaffer Erik Ten Hag’s football nightmares has reportedly made a decision on his future at the club amid continued interest from the Old Trafford club recently hit with the shocking 7-0 drubbing by an enervated Liverpool.
The Red Devils had felt they really came close to landing the Dutchman in the 2022 summer transfer window, despite the talented midfielder parrying their incessant efforts to convince him to leave Camp Nou. In mid-July, they allegedly rolled out a €80million offer for him, which had been accepted by the needy, cash-strapped Catalans but a feisty De Jong steadfastly turned his nose down at the attractive offer and decided to remain put instead, much to the frustration and indignation of his former Ajax gaffer Ten Hag – who had, one suspects, probably thought he had it all under wraps to bring the midfielder over to Old Trafford.
The Blaugranas had qualification to Europe’s premier club competition secured at the time although were subsequently relegated to the lower-ranked Europa League.
Both European giants eventually met at Camp Nou where the first leg encounter played out to a thrilling 2-2 draw, with the Mancunians subsequently sending the Blaugranas packing with a 2-1 comeback victory in the second leg at Old Trafford.
In the aftermath of Barca’s fourth European exit in a year, reports from talkSPORT claimed that De Jong was actually considering a switch to United due to a desire to play alongside their Brazilian star Casemiro, who had been a former Real Madrid stalwart.
However, after the dust had settled on Monday following a spineless, humiliating 7-0 defeat for United against bitter rivals Liverpool, plus a 1-0 win for Barcelona over Valencia that put them nine points ahead of their nearest rival in La Liga, SPORT claims that De Jong has made a decision on his future.
De Jong and his entourage “are very clear” about De Jong not leaving in the summer, reports the Catalan daily newspaper, and transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed that the 26-year-old’s mind hasn’t changed on continuing at Camp Nou either.
In fact De Jong’s camp apparently claims they know “nothing” about renewed interest from United with nothing on the matter forthcoming to them as of yet despite, claims to the contrary in the British media.
Unlike in the previous season, De Jong isn’t receiving any pressure to leave Barca this campaign and it is now clear that the club no longer want to offload him despite the fact there will likely be big player sales in the summer. While De Jong was considered Barca’s most sellable asset last summer, the midfielder has since become indispensable and an “untouchable” in Xavi’s plans.
De Jong has been prudent to maintain a low profile while keeping his head down and concentrating on proving his mettle and worth as an undisputed starter under Xavi.
Additional news also has it that he is more than settled living in Barcelona with his long-term partner, bolstered by his relationships with close friends at the club like Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto, among others.