Frenkie de Jong has insisted he is happy at Barcelona as he appeared to finally bury any chance that he will move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils mounted a summer-long pursuit of the Dutch midfielder last summer, but ultimately failed in their attempts to bring him to Old Trafford. Instead, he stayed at the Nou Camp and has become a key player for Catalan giants Barca.
His contract runs until the summer of 2026, though Barca remain in financial trouble and may attempt to sell him at the end of the season. But De Jong appears to have ended any suggestion that he is ready to move on from the LaLiga leaders.
"I am very happy and I want to continue for many years at Barça. I have always dreamed of playing for Barça and I want to succeed at Barça. I am very happy, comfortable, participating more in the game," he told RAC-1, via Sport.
"[Last summer] I was fine, calm because I knew I wanted to continue at Barça and I haven't changed my mind. With [Xavi] I have to continue and improve because each player has room to do so. Xavi helps me a lot, all the coaches have helped me in some way."
De Jong has scored two goals and notched one assist to help Barca surge to the top of LaLiga. They are hoping to win their first title for four years, with De Jong desperate to win LaLiga for the first time since he arrived from Ajax.
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"I have never won the League, it is my fourth year here and it is the closest I have been, but there is a long way to go. Winning the title makes me very excited, it's the main goal this year," he added.
"We are going for all possible titles , we have an advantage in the League and Copa del Rey and with a very good team and squad. Let's go for both. If we win the three titles in Spain it would be an extraordinary season because there are very good teams, like Madrid, Atlético.
"In Europe we would have to do better, but we'll see next year. What has happened in Europe has been very hard. We have to do much better. We have a squad to do better in Europe , especially this year, it's our fault and no one else's."
De Jong's insistence that he wants to remain at Barcelona will be a blow to United, who still considered him to be a target. Just last month, United legend Paul Scholes urged his former club to reignite their interest in the Dutchman.
"You would love to see Frenkie de Jong play at Old Trafford, he can play deeper as a pivot or a little bit further forward which I think is his best position," he told BT Sport.
"A fantastic footballer, can dribble and I think United fans will be looking out for him today but I’m sure all the big teams in the Premier League would love to have this guy because he makes you that much better."
