Frenkie de Jong insists "life is perfect" at Barcelona and wants to spend another decade playing for the Spanish giants.
The Netherlands international's latest show of affection for Barcelona is another blow for potential suitors Manchester United. Manager Erik ten Hag tried to persuade De Jong to join his team in the summer but the 25-year-old rejected the transfer.
Speculation around De Jong's future continues to be a talking point, yet the midfielder was keen to quash the rumours ahead of Netherlands' World Cup opener against African champions Senegal on Monday. De Jong is part of Louis van Gaal's 26-player squad.
"I am very happy in Barcelona," De Jong told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. "When I play, it's great, and in terms of living there, life is perfect. I see myself at Barcelona for as long as possible. I would personally hope for another eight or 10 years."
De Jong's comments suggest he will be playing for Barcelona and not United when the two teams meet in the Europa League in February. The winner of that play-off will progress to the last 16 of the tournament and be considered as one of the favourites.
Although De Jong loves playing for Barcelona, his rocky relationship with the club's hierarchy is obvious. The player, who came through the ranks at Ajax, has expressed his annoyance at details of his contract being leaked to the Spanish press in the summer.
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Barcelona reportedly wanted De Jong to accept a wage cut or leave the Camp Nou. It's believed the Catalan club even questioned the legality of his contract, as it was signed under Josep Maria Bartomeu's presidency. Joan Laporta has since succeeded Bartomeu.
De Jong added: "I blame these people [the Barcelona hierarchy], but I have nothing to do with them. Yes, they are Barca, for me, because they run the club. But I don't see them when I'm at the club. I have nothing to do with them in my daily life.
"One day, a paper published my contract details. I didn't leak it and only one other party knew [the details], so it had to be the club who did this. And suddenly, there was a letter in which the question was asked whether my contract was still valid, because the previous president made the contract. I found it really annoying that the club did this."
De Jong also said he doesn't "put the blame" on Barcelona manager Xavi for not quashing the United links. The midfielder never felt that Xavi "was against me" and believes it was difficult for the Spaniard to "speak about" the transfer saga.
United are no longer as desperate for a midfielder thanks to the form of Christian Eriksen, as Ten Hag is successfully deploying the playmaker in a deeper role. The Red Devils also signed five-time Champions League winner Casemiro from Real Madrid in August.
De Jong played under Ten Hag at Ajax before joining Barcelona in July 2019. The Amsterdam club won a league and cup double during the 2018/19 campaign.
