Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that the club received an eye-watering bid for Frenkie de Jong last year. The 26-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea and Manchester United not too long ago, but the Spanish giants blocked his departure.
Under Thomas Tuchel, football.london understood that the Blues liked the idea of signing De Jong and they were even confident of securing his signature. It's said that Chelsea were in talks with the Netherlands international over a potential move to Stamford Bridge at one stage, with the now-Bayern Munich boss eager to bolster his midfield with more creativity.
But, despite a dispute over his contract, De Jong decided to stay at Barcelona and he's since played an integral role in the club's recent success. The Dutchman, who sees his deal at the Camp Nou expire in 2026, featured 33 times for Barcelona in La Liga, directly contributing towards six goals from midfield.
His impressive performances helped Blaugrana beat Real Madrid to the title and his efforts have been recognised by Laporta, who's insisted that he was right to turn down €100million (£85.9m) for his signature. In an interview with Spanish outlet TV3, the Barcelona president addressed a number of topics regarding the club's state of affairs, one of which being their activity in the transfer market.
"Last year it happened and we were worse," began Laporta. "We had an offer of €100 million for De Jong and we were right not to accept it.
"We’ve received offers for Pedri, Ansu Fati, [Andreas] Christensen, de Jong and [Ronald] Araújo but we think they have to continue. They are the present and the future of the club."
Speaking to TV3 ahead of the El Clasico in March, De Jong reiterated his desire to stay at Barcelona for 'many years'. The former Chelsea and United target said: "Hopefully I can play in the new Camp Nou.
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"Barcelona has always been the club of my dreams and I want to stay here for many years. For me, the Camp Nou is the most beautiful stadium in the world.
"The plans for the stadium are very good. To continue here for many years. Barca is the team of my dreams. Playing in a Clasico is a very difficult feeling to explain.
"When I was a child, I dreamed of doing it with Barca and now I can do it. It's a very important game for the fans and also for the players, a game that can decide a league."
