Frenkie de Jong’s girlfriend delivers clever response to Man Utd fan over transfer
Frenkie de Jong’s fiancée dismissed rumours linking the midfielder with Manchester United during an Instagram Q&A on Monday.
United tried to sign De Jong, 25, from Barcelona last summer but failed to get a deal over the line. Erik ten Hag worked with the Netherlands international at Ajax and knew he would be a good addition to United’s midfield, yet the player was not persuaded.
The Red Devils continue to be linked with De Jong. Barcelona manager Xavi confirmed the club wanted to keep De Jong during last month’s transfer window and now Mikky Kiemeney, the player’s fiancée, has reiterated those claims with a witty response.
Kiemeney, 24, was asked when her boyfriend is coming to Manchester by an anonymous fan. She replied, “23-2 I guess [February 23].”
That is the date of the second leg of United’s Europa League play-off with Barcelona, held at Old Trafford. The first leg is due to be held at the Camp Nou on Thursday, February 16. The winners of that tie will progress to the last 16 of the tournament.
De Jong and Kiemeney, who has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, met each other in high school and have been dating since 2014. They became engaged last July.
United came close to signing De Jong last summer. They agreed a fee with Barcelona, who needed the money due to their ongoing financial problems, but the midfielder wanted to stay at the Camp Nou and continue playing under Xavi.
The Barcelona manager admitted De Jong could leave last summer. He said: “I don’t know what will happen to Frenkie de Jong… He knows what I think and what the club want and need. Of course I’m counting on him, he’s a great player.”
Yet Xavi has always maintained his desire to keep De Jong. “I don’t want Memphis [Depay] or any other player to leave in January,” said the Spaniard at the beginning of the last month’s transfer window. “I think it’s going be a quiet window for us.”
De Jong joined Barcelona in the summer of 2019 after helping Ten Hag’s Ajax win a league and cup double. The 2018/19 campaign is fondly remembered for Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals, where they suffered a last-minute loss to Tottenham.
The Dutchman has been a key player for Barcelona since his transfer. He has played 165 games in all competitions and maintained his place in Xavi’s team, despite the emergence of promising youngsters Gavi and Pedri. De Jong has featured 25 times this season.
De Jong has won the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana since joining Barcelona, with a maiden LaLiga title in sight. Xavi’s side are eight points clear of Real Madrid in second and will be confident of maintaining that advantage with 18 fixtures remaining.
