Barcelona U-turn on Man Utd transfer target Frenkie de Jong
Karan Tejwani
- 8 Oct 2022 19:45 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United had a long but unsuccessful chase for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong over the summer transfer window, with the player remaining at the Camp Nou this season.
Erik ten Hag was keen to bring the Dutchman over to Old Trafford in his first transfer window and saw him as a priority target for the club, but was unable to convinced the midfielder of a move.
De Jong was adamant on staying at Barcelona, with the club open to a sale to help their financial situation, and Manchester United attempted to sign him for 17 weeks in the summer.
Now, though, it seems like there may be another chance to sign De Jong as Xavi’s latest comments may provide Manchester United with some encouragement.
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Barcelona have started the season well but have been plagued by injury issues, especially to their central defenders who could be out for long periods.
As a result, Xavi spoke about the possibility of playing De Jong in central defence, and he discussed it in his pre-match press conference before his side’s match against Celta.
Xavi said: “Frenkie can play as a central defender – that is something that we tried in pre-season and it worked very well. He is a potent player, who is really fast. But we have other alternatives in that position as well.
“We are very lucky that we have many multi skilled players who are capable of playing in different positions. But Frenkie is an option there.”
🎙 Xavi: Frenkie de Jong is an option at center back#BarçaCelta pic.twitter.com/US1Rq3ZmNy
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 8, 2022
De Jong has started just four games for Barcelona this season across La Liga and the Champions League and he finds himself behind Pedri, Gavi, Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie in the pecking order.
His future at Barcelona is in doubt but could be linked to that of Busquets, who is likely to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.
If he stays, he may have to agree to a new deal with a significant wage reduction as Barcelona are looking to cut costs within their squad to help their financial situation.
