JUST IN – Barcelona president Joan Laporta finally breaks silence amid Tottenham and Manchester United transfer links as he reveals Barcelona plans for Frankie De Jong and Raphinha [Full story link in comment]
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed how Frenkie de Jong feels about staying in Spain, with rumours of a transfer to either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur refusing to go away.
Man Utd tried their hardest to sign De Jong in the summer of 2022, following the arrival of Erik ten Hag as manager. Ten Hag decided De Jong would be the best central midfielder for Man Utd’s new style of play, after having worked with the player at Ajax.
Following lengthy discussions, Man Utd eventually managed to strike a £72million agreement with Barcelona for De Jong. However, the 26-year-old refused to leave Barca, which forced Man Utd to go back to the drawing board.
Ultimately, Man Utd spent an initial £60m – plus a further £10m in add-ons – to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.
However, the Red Devils continue to be linked with a big-money move for De Jong. One of the main reasons for this is that Ten Hag remains a huge admirer of the Netherlands star and feels he could help Man Utd dominate games.
Plus, Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat have both struggled this season, so signing De Jong would firm up Man Utd’s midfield options.
Interestingly, Man Utd are not the only Premier League side to have been linked with De Jong. Chelsea have been credited with an interest, while Tottenham are keeping tabs on the situation.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Laporta was asked if he is ‘optimistic’ the deep-lying playmaker will remain in Catalonia, as well as how the player currently feels.
Man Utd, Spurs target ‘delighted’ at Barcelona – Laporta
The club chief responded: “Yes, he is delighted. The last thing he would want would be to leave Barcelona. He has told me more than once that he is delighted here.”
Laporta’s comments make sense, as De Jong has previously spoken about Barca being his dream club. He used this to justify his brutal rejection of Ten Hag and Man Utd in 2022.
While De Jong would love to spend the majority of his career at the Nou Camp, it is unclear whether this will actually happen.
His current contract runs until June 2026, and there has been plenty of speculation about whether a renewal will occur. Some reports have suggested Barca will offer him a lucrative new long-term deal, while others have stated the La Liga giants cannot afford such terms.
On the contract debacle, Laporta added: “We have margin. We are delighted with him. I’m not worried about anyone and if someone wants to leave, we can’t go against a player’s will.
“But I think everyone wants to stay and we want everyone we have to stay. We don’t want any of them to leave, because no team in history has been a flash in the pan.
“The teams that have won have had a period of consolidation and maturation. This team is having it with very young people and will pass us by with the previous stage.
“We have players who will last many years, all of these we are talking about. We have to prioritise making the entire team powerful. And there are some maxims or principles that you cannot transgress, because if you bring in someone who earns 20 times more than the one who earns more now, it would be a mistake. And we would enter an absurd pyramid.”
