Frenkie de Jong reportedly feels 'disgusted' by his treatment at Barcelona, while Manchester United retain an interest in signing him.
In a serious case of deja vu, the 25-year-old midfielder continues to feel mistreated by his current club and United boss Erik ten Hag is keen to reunite with him at Old Trafford. De Jong rejected the chance to sign for the Red Devils during the summer transfer window, despite the two clubs coming to a £63million agreement in July.
Fending off pressure from Camp Nou chiefs to leave and help remedy the La Liga side's well-document financial woes, the Dutch playmaker got his wish of staying in Catalunya. De Jong believed that manager Xavi Hernandez would install him as a pillar of Barcelona's team for the 2021-22 season - but it hasn't turned out that way.
According to Sport, the Netherlands international expected to play a 'decisive' role for the Blaugrana this term, but has only managed a mere four starts from a possible 12. Notably named on the bench for Barcelona's must-win Champions League tie at home Inter Milan on Wednesday - in which De Jong came on as a 64th-minute substitute and couldn't prevent his team from slipping to a calamitous 3-3 draw - the former Ajax ace has been left fuming with Xavi.
The Spaniard preferred a midfield trio of veteran Sergio Busquets and starlets Gavi and Pedri, snubbing both De Jong and summer signing Franck Kessie. With the small matter of a Clasico fixture on the horizon this Sunday, De Jong's chances of starting are slim.
And although 34-year-old Busquets is in decline, Xavi doesn't view De Jong as his long-term heir at the base of midfield - contrary to how Ten Hag hopes to utilise him. Shortly after being appointed April, the United manager identified his former Ajax prodigy to be the lynchpin of his Red Devils side for years to come, and ESPN recently claimed that Ten Hag hasn't been deterred by De Jong's reluctance to join his Old Trafford revolution.
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Ten Hag spent much of the summer chasing his top target, with it quickly emerging that De Jong was unwilling to sign for United unless Barcelona paid him a deferred wage packet worth a reported £14m. It then became apparent that Ten Hag was ready to battle right until deadline day for his signature, opting not to sign an alternative midfielder with the same profile as De Jong.
During last month's international break, the player himself confirmed that his mind was made up before the summer window even opened. "I had already decided in May that I wanted to stay. So I was very calm," De Jong told NOS. "I now feel welcome at the club. Nothing has ever changed with my teammates."
