De Jong to stay at Barcelona, despite Manchester United interest

Frenkie de Jong reportedly wants to stay put at Barcelona, despite renewed interest from Manchester United. The Dutchman was linked quite heavily to the Red Devils a couple of summers ago, when Erik Ten Hag was appointed at the club.

Now that the former Ajax manager is getting his band back together, having signed Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt already this window. With Casemiro still expected to leave the Old Trafford this summer, United could be in for a midfielder, and hence the renewed interest in De Jong.

The 27 year old has been at Barcelona since 2019/20 and has featured for them over 200 times. However there is still a feeling that he hasn’t quite delivered on the promise that he showed as a youngster while at Ajax. There is still a question mark over what his best role is and whether that role exists at Barcelona.

These are questions that have plagued the player and the club throughout the stints of multiple managers. Notably, De Jong also earns a higher salary than any other footballer playing in Europe. This does paint a false picture because the amount is multiplied because of the wages he ‘postponed’ to help the club during the pandemic.

The point still remains that he earns a sizeable wage, something that has cut a huge portion of Barca’s already limited finances.

There is no reason for De Jong to want to leave Barcelona to be very honest. He has said several times that it is the club of his dreams and him and his family are happy in the city. This move doesn’t seem like this will happen, despite United’s renewed interest.