It is no secret that Manchester United were probing and pushing for the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong last summer. The Red Devils were intent on signing the Dutchman at the insistence of manager Erik ten Hag, but the 25-year-old refused to leave.
Having stayed put at Spotify Camp Nou, De Jong has evolved into one of the most pivotal parts of Xavi Hernandez’s side. So much so that the Blaugrana now regard him as an ‘untouchable’ within the squad.
At the same time, however, Ten Hag continues to dream of reuniting with his former AFC Ajax ward at Manchester United.
Fabrizio Romano (via Caught Offside) reports that the Manchester United manager would ‘love’ to have Frenkie de Jong in his ranks at Old Trafford.
However, for such a move to happen, the midfielder would have to tell Barcelona that he wants to leave the club. And, Romano adds that De Jong is not thinking about such a possibility as he is very happy in Catalonia.
“Erik ten Hag loves Frenkie de Jong, we know that very well,” Romano said.
“It’s normal he’d love to have Frenkie at Man United but I always mention the same thing since last June: it’s on Frenkie to decide his future, and at the moment he has not told Barca that he wants to leave.
“He’s happy in Barcelona and so there are no changes at this stage.”
De Jong has always maintained that he wishes to stay at Barcelona and achieve success with the club. And things are certainly looking bright for him and the club this season, despite their disappointing run in Europe.
Indeed, Barça have already won the Spanish Super Cup and are well on track to lift the La Liga title, having opened up a nine-point lead over Real Madrid. At the same time, they also have one foot through to the finals of the Copa del Rey.
Given that De Jong has been critical to the team’s form and that he is very happy where he is, an exit in the summer is unlikely to be on the table. And Ten Hag and Manchester United will once again have to face disappointment in their pursuit of the Dutchman.
