Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong has revealed what it will take to leave the club, two and a half years after turning down Manchester United.
De Jong (27) coolly rejected the Red Devils in the summer of 2022, while then manager Erik ten Hag and football director John Murtough wanted to sign him. United agreed a £56 million fee with Barca and went on a summer charm offensive in an attempt to convince the Netherlands international, but he did not want to leave Camp Nou.
Since then, De Jong has won one La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup and has become one of Barcelona's vice-captains. The midfielder was a regular under former boss
On his return, De Jong has failed to find a place in Flick's preferred lineup, where he last started a match on November 10. That led to familiar speculation going into the January transfer window that cash-strapped Barça would want to sell him again.
The 27-year-old has now addressed talks over his future and denied claims that he only wants to end his career in Cataluya for off-field reasons. Speaking to Voetbal International, De Jong explained: “People think I want to stay at Barcelona forever because life outside football is so good here, and that's good, but what happens on the pitch is always more important.
“If I felt like I couldn't contribute enough, or if the team wasn't competitive, I would leave.”
The former Ajax star, who played under Ten Hag for the Dutch giants, added: “When I signed for Barcelona I didn't think that after four years I would only be winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup “I expected at least double that, so that disappoints me. Things happen on the road that you can't predict.”
De Jong only has 18 months left on his current contract, so Barcelona will have to make a decision on his future in 2025. Flick insists he appreciates the Dutchman, saying last month: “For me, Frenkie is a very important player because of the way he behaves during training and matches.”
He hopes to get his chance in the starting lineup when Barcelona takes on fourth division club UD Barbastro in the Copa del Rey on Saturday. Barcelona next travels to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup and will play Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals. They return to La Liga on Saturday, January 18, away at Getafe.
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