It’s been a few years since Frenkie de Jong was the fulcrum of Erik ten Hag’s young Ajax side, and with it an open secret that the latter is keen on securing the former for Manchester United, the midfielder has had his say on where he wants to play next.
Sky Sports reported on United’s interest in de Jong, a move that ultimately didn’t materialise last summer.
Despite Barcelona’s troubles at that time and the belief that, perhaps, the Catalans were looking to raise money from a sale, the young Dutchman remained at the Camp Nou.
It appears that the La Liga giants are still going to be hamstrung by financial issues at the end of the current campaign too.
The Sun noted La Liga chief, Javier Tebas’ words at a recent FT Business of Football summit in London:
“As of today, Barcelona doesn’t have any room in its budget to spend in the upcoming transfer window.”
With de Jong being one of the club’s most marketable assets, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Barca looking to cash in once again.
However, the player himself still isn’t keen on a move away, and his statement on Catalan channel TV3 seems fairly unequivocal.
“Barça has always been the club of my dreams and therefore I hope I can continue there for many more years,” he said.
It’s a fairly definitive statement from the player which will be heard loud and clear by those at Old Trafford.
It may not stop them from trying to get de Jong to swap the sunnier climbs of the continent for the rain in Manchester, but it’ll take a monumental effort to prise him from a club where he clearly feels at home.
