‘Club of my dreams’ – Manchester United target only wants Barcelona

Manchester United may have to look elsewhere to fix their midfield issues, with Frenkie de Jong determined to continue at Barcelona.

The Barcelona midfielder was the subject of intense interest from United, as Erik ten Hag pushed to reunite with his former Ajax prodigy at Old Trafford.

The Premier League giants even found an agreement with the La Liga outfit, but things didn’t progress from the player’s end due to several reasons, including the issue with his wages. United ended up signing Casemiro from Real Madrid in a big-money move instead.

Last summer, his exit did make sense as he wasn’t a regular starting under Xavi. But ever since the Barca manager switched to a box-midfield system, De Jong has become one of the first names on the teamsheet. He also featured against United in both legs during the play-off round in the Europa League and produced an impressive first-half performance away from home.

‘Club of my dreams’ – Manchester United target only wants Barcelona

Now, if he’s allowed to leave, the La Liga leaders would be forced to sign a new midfielder to ensure their manager can continue deploying a four-man midfield.

And for now, all things point to De Jong staying at Barcelona ‘for many years’.

Speaking to TV3 (via Fabrizio Romano), the Netherlands international expressed his desire to play at the renovated Spotify Camp Nou:

"“I hope I will play at the new Camp Nou. Barcelona is the club of my dreams, so I plan to stay for many years. It looks like it’s going to be nice. The plans for the stadium are very good.”"

With El Clasico next up this weekend, De Jong will get another big stage to highlight his importance to Barcelona. Manchester United, meanwhile, will be better off looking at his alternatives ahead of the summer transfer window.