Former Barcelona manager raises concern over De Jong-Man Utd links

Recent reports have strongly linked the Dutch midfielder with a summer move to Old Trafford.

Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong wants to stay at Camp Nou, according to former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman.

The Red Devils are pushing hard for a deal. They’ve reportedly made a €65 million verbal offer to Barcelona for De Jong. The La Liga giants are open to a sale, but want the final transfer fee to reach around €85 million. Talks are set to continue between the clubs over the coming days.

But even if Manchester United and Barcelona agree on a deal, there is still a matter of convincing De Jong to head over to Old Trafford – something Koeman suggests could be a problem.

❗Koeman: "All I know is that Frenkie de Jong wants to stay at FC Barcelona." pic.twitter.com/Dz5ytAqZCm

— FC Barcelona Fans Nation (@fcbfn_live) June 28, 2022

‘Frenkie wants to stay at Barca’

The 59-year-old, who has coached the midfielder for the Dutch national team and Barcelona, spoke about the transfer saga on the Catalan TV show ‘Vaques Sagrades’ on Monday.

“All I know is that Frenkie wants to stay at Barca. He said that a few days ago,” Koeman said.

“But I don’t know if Barca want or need to sell him because they need money. He is one of the few for whom a lot of money can be asked.”

Since an €85 million transfer from Ajax in 2019, De Jong has made 138 appearances for Barcelona. The Netherlands international has supplied 12 goals and 17 assists on route to one Copa del Rey title.

As Koeman mentioned, De Jong has made it known that he would prefer to continue at the Catalan club.