Frenkie de Jong looked set to seal a move to the Premier League for the majority of the summer transfer window amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester United. The 25-year-old was one of Barcelona's assets they were open to selling to resolve their financial troubles but he remained at the La Liga outfit.
football.london understands that the Blues have liked De Jong for a number of years now and despite once being confident of landing the defensive midfielder a move never materialised. In an interview after the summer deadline, De Jong revealed that he made his decision to stay at the club in May.
"I was calm. I decided, in May, that I wanted to stay," he told Ziggo Sport. "My opinion has never changed during all this period - I remained calm. But then you know that the pressure would start coming. Yes, from the newspapers, from the president. From everywhere in fact. But I wanted to stay at Barça, so it never baffled me."
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This season, De Jong has continued to be an ever-present in Xavi's squad this season as Barcelona seek their first La Liga title since 2019. However, that has not silenced rumours linking the Dutch midfielder with a move to the Premier League, with football.london sister title Manchester Evening News claiming that United are still open to bringing the 25-year-old to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils opted to sign Casemiro in the summer after failing to sign De Jong. The Brazilian has been one of Erik ten Hag's best players this campaign, but at 30, another midfield anchor is on their radar.
De Jong is set to face the Reds in the Europa League knock-out play-off time this month. And prior to the clash, De Jong's partner Mikky Kiemeney has joked about the former Ajax star's arrival at Old Trafford.
Hosting a question-and-answer session on Instagram, one United fan asked: "When's Frenkie coming to Manchester?" She replied with a screenshot of Barcelona's fixture in Manchester on February 23 and comically replied with: "23-2 I guess."
In the summer, De Jong's services are expected to be of interest amid Barcelona's dire financial difficulties. His contract at the Nou Camp isn't due to expire until 2026 but the Catalonia club could be forced to sell one of their key players to help balance the books.
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