Barcelona boss Xavi has admitted he is unsure whether Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong will still be at the club at the start of the season.
The Red Devils have been credited with a strong interest in the Dutch midfielder throughout the transfer window, with Erik ten Hag keen to be reunited with his former Ajax star. A deal has proved tricky to strike despite willingness from Nou Camp chiefs to sell.
United previously agreed a deal with Barcelona regarding a switch to Old Trafford but, so far, De Jong remains unconvinced about moving to the Premier League this summer. The Red Devils are making one final attempt to tempt him into making a switch, with reports from Spain suggesting that they have offered to cover the £17million in outstanding wages owed to him by the Catalans - whilst also making him the highest paid player at the club.
It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to secure De Jong’s signature, but Xavi has claimed that he remains a key part of the squad.
Speaking after Barcelona ’s 2-0 pre-season win over New York Red Bulls, he said: "I don't know if he's [De Jong] going to stay here. There's still time and a lot of things can still happen.
"At the moment he's part of the team, like everyone else. The fact that he played as a central defender in the other games was not a sign that he was leaving. I don't need to send signals on the pitch. I can speak directly with my footballers."
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Xavi is not the only key Barcelona figure to have weighed in on the decision facing De Jong in recent days. Club president Joan Laporta has also given his say on the midfielder’s future and suggested that the former Ajax man is eyeing an extended stay at the Nou Camp - something that he is keen to accommodate.
Speaking in the USA, he said: “He [De Jong] wants to stay and we want him to stay. That is the most important. What is clear is that we have a new salary scale and all the players have to fit into it. We are trying to make these players understand the reality of the club.
“We find ourselves with a salary mass triggered by more than 40 per cent. We all have to make an effort. We are going to do everything possible to make him stay and we hope that the player will also do everything possible to stay.”
De Jong, 25, still has four years left to run on his contract at Barcelona but would become United's fourth addition of the summer should he elect to make a move, following Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez to the club.
