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Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong did not rule out a move to Manchester United but he preferred to initially work with Xavi.
This is what former Man United player Dwight Yorke revealed was said in a conversation he had with the Netherlands international.
Recently, Yorke was in charge of the Australian club Macarthur FC, with his first match being a preseason friendly against Barcelona in which the Dutch midfielder participated.
This friendly occurred after United and Barcelona agreed to a transfer fee of £56.2 million for the 25-year-old player last summer.
De Jong Denied Departure to Explore Xavi Reign
Unfortunately, the trade did not materialize as De Jong opted to remain at Camp Nou for the remainder of the season. However, former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag still seeks to lure the midfielder to Old Trafford in the coming summer.
In the next months, De Jong’s preference is to remain with the Blaugrana, but this could change. Ten Hag is anxious to bolster his midfield ranks.
He believes that the Dutchman would be the ideal complement to Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, both of whom De Jong admires greatly.
United’s first priority is to acquire a new number nine striker, and they are also interested in adding a new goalkeeper to their roster, although midfield remains Ten Hag’s top priority position.
De Jong was instrumental in Ajax’s journey to the Champions League semi finals in 2019 and was an integral component of the club’s early success.
Yorke Reveals De Jong Transfer Insight
Former striker Yorke now claims that De Jong has not ruled out a move to United and that his choice to remain at Barcelona last summer was based on his desire to see the club’s development under manager Xavi Hernandez.
“I actually spoke to Frenkie de Jong when we played against him in the A-League All-Stars game in Australia,” Yorke recently told 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,” he said.
“But there is a Dutch connection with Erik ten Hag, De Jong would be a great pick because he’s an excellent player. He would be the player that would fit into that midfield next to Casemiro and give us a bit more stability. Manchester United would have a very solid core to the team if he was to join.”
The Catalan club are currently nine points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and are in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey but endured another disappointing European campaign.
Xavi’s side were eliminated at the group stages of the Champions League before being edged out by Man United in the Europa League play off round last month.
Recently, club president Joan Laporta has promised fans that a budget will be made available to bring in more quality transfers in the summer while he also revealed that Xavi would be staying as manager at Barca next season.
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