Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has labelled Frenkie de Jong as among "the best midfielders in the world" after Dwight Yorke claimed he privately would not rule out a transfer to Manchester United.
United had an initial transfer fee of £56.2million agreed with Barca to sign the 25-year-old midfielder last summer. At that time, former United striker Yorke managed Australian side Macarthur FC for a friendly clash against the Catalans – where he claims the conversation took place.
"I actually spoke to Frenkie de Jong when we played against him in the A-League All-Stars game in Australia," Yorke explained on Premier League Betting. "I have a little bit of insight, he wanted to see what Barcelona would become under the new guidance of Xavi and see how that panned out before he decided if he wanted to join Manchester United.