"He is a coveted player in the market" - Barcelona president Joan Laporta comments on the situation of Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong
Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes that Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong should continue with the Catalan giants. He admitted that there have been proposals for the Dutch midfielder but he wants the former Ajax star to stay at Camp Nou.
As per the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is interested in signing De Jong this summer. He is 'keen' to sign the player he worked with during their time at Ajax before the midfielder moved to Barcelona in 2019.
#FCB
Frenkie de Jong has Champions League football as main priority for his future, he'd be happy to stay, Xavi wants him at Barça - depends on proposals. 🇳🇱 #FCB
Manchester United will try again, Erik ten Hag would love to change Frenkie's mind #MUFC
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Laporta was asked in an interview with L'Esportiu about selling or renewing players due to economic issues and fair play regulations. He said:
"Now the market is starting to move and we also have players who have offers. They have offers because they are high quality players and we have to somehow let everything flow a bit and be very attentive to what fair play we have to make depending on what decisions. Right now, everything is open."
He added:
"The truth is that there are players we have renewed and who have a present and a future, and it is obvious that we want them to continue in our ranks. And others that also have a high quality, but have a market, also have proposals, and in this case will depend a lot on the issue of fair play."
When asked if De Jong was also among the players who had proposals and could be sold, Laporta said:
"I'm talking about Barça's first team players and there are many who are of great quality. Frenkie has great quality; he knows our system and, yes, he is a coveted player in the market and we have received proposals, but we think he should continue at Barça."
Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong hints at wanting to stay at Barcelona
Barcelona ended their campaign with a 2-0 loss against Villarreal in La Liga on May 22. After the match, de Jong reflected on their season and posted on Instagram:
"It has been a disappointing season for us. We couldn't achieve the goals we set at the beginning. But I want to thank the fans for their support this year. We will work hard to do better next season."
This perhaps hints at his desire to stay at the Spanish club and not move to Manchester United to play under his former manager.
If he decides to stay, Manchester United will need to assess other options as they need reinforcements in midfield. Nemanja Matic is set to leave the club while Paul Pogba's contract expires this summer with a renewal unlikely.