Frenkie De Jong Reveals Why He Snubbed Manchester United to Remain at Barcelona

• Frenkie de Jong has confirmed that Manchester United made an offer to sign him from Barcelona last summer
• The Dutch midfielder turned down a move to Old Trafford despite Barcelona being willing to sell him
• De Jong played a key role this season in helping Barcelona become champions of La Liga for the first time since 2019

Frenkie de Jong has finally revealed why he scuppered his chances of joining Manchester United when the English Premier League giants tried to sign him last summer.

Erik ten Hag, who had worked with De Jong at Ajax, was keen on reuniting with the Dutch international at Old Trafford when he took over the Red Devils at the start of last season.

According to 90MIN, De Jong admitted he had a situation with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and didn’t want to leave the Catalan club, despite their willingness to sell him.

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"Manchester United already spoke with Barcelona [last summer] despite the fact that I wanted to stay here. The club was in a difficult situation. They were able to sell me for a big fee, and they wanted to do this, but I did not want to leave, so I stayed.

"If everything goes well for me and for the club, then I want to stay here for as long as possible."

De Jong has made 40 appearances for Barcelona this season, helping the Catalan club end their La Liga drought after they emerged champions of Spain for the first time since 2019.

Barcelona keen to keep Frenkie

Meanwhile, Barcelona want to keep De Jong, and they will begin negotiations over a new contract with the Dutch midfielder in the near future, Football Espana reports.

The 25-year-old midfielder has reiterated his desire to finish his career with the Catalans, after settling in the city following his arrival from Ajax three seasons ago.

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De Jong has become an integral member of the Barcelona team under Xavi, and is expected to play a leading role going forward, following Sergio Busquets’ departure this summer.

De Jong commits Barca future

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on the Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona saga.

While De Jong was focused on international duty with the Netherlands at the World Cup, he took time to distance himself from a potential move to Manchester United.

The Barcelona midfielder was linked to a reunion with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, but he rejected the idea.