Barca players impressed Frenkie De Jong didn't give in to transfer pressure
FT Desk
- 3 Sept 2022 15:28 BST
- 3 min read
Frenkie de Jong held firm in his desire to stay at Barcelona all summer amid intense transfer interest from Manchester United in particular, something that has impressed his Camp Nou teammates.
It seems everyone wanted De Jong to make the move to Man Utd this summer. Except De Jong.
Erik ten Hag, who won the Dutch domestic double with De Jong at Ajax in 2019, was keen for them to be reunited at Old Trafford, making the player his top transfer target on succeeding Ralf Rangnick in May.
Man Utd's Frenkie de Jong scoring for Barcelona 😉pic.twitter.com/FcCqI3ZRyV
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 25, 2022
Barcelona's need to move De Jong on was obvious. Trying to clamber out of a €1.3 billion debt that saw them lose Lionel Messi on a free to PSG last summer, they identified De Jong as one of their most saleable assets, one with one of the biggest salaries on the wage bill.
But De Jong, who described Barcelona as his "dream club" after his €75m move there three years ago, was still owed €17 in deferred wages, and he sat tight despite the above.
Dressing room admiration
"The dressing room are said to have admired how De Jong had not succumbed to such pressure," writes the Athletic's Dermot Corrigan.
"Even when Chelsea were prepared to meet Barca's demands, plus some of the salary he has deferred, he still held firm. It helped that De Jong always knew Xavi counted on him."
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Barcelona have made an undefeated start to the new La Liga season, and sit third after five games played.
De Jong has featured three times so far, in his preferred central midfield position, having been experimented as a centre-back against Real Madrid in pre-season.
With a 90 per cent pass completion and an average of seven progressive carries per game, it appears to be the right decision for club and player, even if Barca had previously hopes to cash in.
