Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong could be set for another summer of transfer speculation after Manchester United have been said to revive their interest in the 25-year-old. Chelsea were also keen on the Dutch star last summer when his Camp Nou career appeared to be in doubt following disputes over the club's financial struggles.
Chelsea and United were both very keen in acquiring his services, but the versatile midfielder opted to remain part of Xavi’s side. However, Erik ten Hag’s side have already placed themselves at the front of the queue should De Jong reverse his decision, the Guardian reports.
However, it would require some convincing from prospective buyers, with the former Ajax player reportedly content at the Catalan club. Ten Hag has long been an admirer of De Jong's, and sees him as the ideal candidate to provide first-choice competition for the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
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However, whether the United manager will have the budget available to him to secure De Jong will depend on the sales of a number of players to balance the books. It has also been reported that United have revived their interest in Borussia Dortmund talent Jude Bellingham, and could have their fingers in many pies this summer.
Since failing to bag De Jong, Chelsea have revamped their midfield options with the capture of Enzo Fernandez for a British-record fee of £106.8million. However, that is unlikely to stop Todd Boehly adding to their already-bloated squad as he aims to continue the extensive restructure of the playing staff at Stamford Bridge.
Should the Blues also choose to revive their interest, they could be poised for another fierce battle with those at Old Trafford. A key factor which fuelled speculation 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 Catalan side owed him £17million in deferred wages from the pandemic. Speaking to De Telegraaf ahead of the Netherlands' World Cup opener against Senegal, the midfielder criticised a 'campaign with lots of lies'.
A handful of Spanish outlets reported that De Jong was not willing to take a pay cut in order to help Barcelona solve their financial woes. But, despite the saga, he insisted that he's happy in Barcelona.
"I am very happy in Barcelona,” said De Jong. When I play it's great and in terms of living here life is perfect. I see myself in Barcelona for as long as possible. I personally hope for another eight or 10 years.
"One day a paper published details from my contract," he added. "I didn't leak it and only one other party knew about this, so it had to be the club who did this. 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 very annoying that the club did this, but I had no further influence on things. I blame these people [those at Barca who wanted him out], but I have nothing to do with them. Yes, they are Barca for me because they lead 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."
Barcelona's ongoing financial worries could lead to the sale of some stars in the summer, however, with La Liga president Javier Tebas publicly warning the club about breaking the league's Financial Fair Play rules.
"Barcelona is very important for the league, but if we look the other way, it would be a serious mistake. Our competition would collapse. Maybe now their president will call me angry, but it's the truth," Tebas stated at the Financial Times' industry and football forum.
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