Frenkie de Jong has revealed that he never planned on leaving Barcelona in the summer. The 25-year-old midfielder was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League as the Spanish giants looked to resolve their financial troubles.
football.london understand that Chelsea have liked the idea of signing De Jong for a few years now and, despite having once been confident of landing his signature, a move away from the Camp Nou failed to materialise. It's said that the Blues were in talks with the Netherlands international over a potential move to Stamford Bridge, with former boss Thomas Tuchel eager to bolster his midfield with more creativity.
A key factor which fuelled talk that De Jong, who sees his contract at Barcelona expire in 2026, would leave was the dispute in wages between player and club. According to The Telegraph, as of July, the Spanish giants owed him £17million in deferred wages from the pandemic.
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But, despite the speculation, the Dutchman revealed in an interview with Ziggo Sport, as quoted by Marca, that he made his decision to stay at Barcelona in May. De Jong said: "I was calm. I decided, in May, that I wanted to stay.
"My opinion has never changed during all this period - I remained calm," he added. "But then you know that the pressure would start coming. Yes, from the newspapers, from the president. From everywhere in fact. But I wanted to stay at Barça, so it never baffled me."
The £104million-rated midfielder continued by detailing his relationship with Xavi during a time where, from the outside, it seemed as if he faced an uncertain future at Barcelona. He said: "We don't talk much with Xavi, but we only talk about football.
"I knew he would play fewer minutes at the beginning of the season. I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I wasn't a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid. Maybe he already has decided, but usually we don't know until the day of the game."
De Jong has featured seven times for Barcelona in La Liga this season, directly contributing towards one goal. His impressive displays have guided the Catalan side to top of the league, though performances in the Champions League are left to be desired.
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