Frenkie de Jong’s private Erik ten Hag chat casts new light on Man Utd transfer chase
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has reportedly told Erik ten Hag he would be happy to join him at Manchester United.
The Red Devils spent most of last summer trying to sign De Jong, 25. It’s believed they agreed a transfer fee with Barcelona but failed to persuade the Netherlands international to ditch the Camp Nou for Old Trafford because of multiple reasons.
Ten Hag was desperate to sign De Jong after coaching him at Ajax, as the pair won a league and cup double together during the 2018/19 campaign. They also reached the Champions League semi-final that season, where they suffered a last-minute defeat to Tottenham.
After failing to sign De Jong in the summer, it seemed as if United’s hopes of hiring the Dutchman were done and dusted. According to the Manchester Evening News, however, De Jong is still interested in playing for the Premier League club in the future.
De Jong reportedly gave Ten Hag assurances he was happy to join him at Old Trafford in private, only to say otherwise in public. It’s claimed the stumbling block with the transfer was the deferred wages Barcelona owe him, which remains an issue.
Therefore, if Barcelona can agree a wage settlement with De Jong, the only thing from stopping him joining United is whether he wants to continue playing for Xavi. He is a regular under the Barcelona manager, who is a fan of his talent
De Jong has featured in all but one of Barcelona’s LaLiga fixtures this season and started the last six of those. That’s important, as Xavi has a lot of midfielders at his disposal – including World Cup winner Sergio Busquets and Spanish wonderkids Pedri and Gavi.
Xavi has always maintained his appreciation of De Jong. He said in August: “He’s very important and I’ve already said many times that he’s very important for us. I don’t know what will happen with the market, but if he stays, he’ll be important for us.”
In November, De Jong revealed he wanted to stay at Barcelona for many years to come. “I am very happy in Barcelona,” he told De Telegraaf. “When I play, it’s great, and in terms of living there, life is perfect. I see myself at Barcelona for as long as possible. I would personally hope for another eight or 10 years.”
It appears De Jong’s frustration is with Barcelona’s board – not the team. In that same interview, he added: “I blame those who wanted me out, but I have nothing to do with them. And clearly they are Barca because they are the ones who run it.
“In any case, I don’t see them when I’m at the club in my daily routine… A newspaper published things about my contract. It was clear that I didn’t leak it and there was only one other party that had the contract.
“It was clear that it came from the club and then you think, ‘It’s not necessary’. Suddenly there was a clamour about my contract and what I signed with the previous president. It irritated me that the club would do something like that.”
