Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, has revealed that the club received a lucrative offer for Frenkie de Jong last summer, and he also stated that new bids have been made recently.
Manchester United had expressed strong interest in signing the Dutch midfielder, as Erik ten Hag sought to bolster their midfield options. De Jong was considered a top target for United, and it was rumoured that Barcelona was willing to sell him due to their challenging financial circumstances at Camp Nou.
Despite negotiations between Barcelona, Man United, and De Jong, an agreement couldn’t be reached, and the Red Devils had to explore other options.
Eventually, they secured the signing of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid for £60m, and he had a successful debut season at Old Trafford.
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Meanwhile, De Jong’s future remains uncertain. President Laporta confirmed that Barcelona has received new offers for the former Ajax player, similar to last summer’s significant offer.
However, Laporta has stated that the Dutch midfielder will not be sold and is expected to be a key part of Barcelona’s La Liga title defence next season.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Laporta stated that they made the right decision in rejecting a €100m (£86m) offer for De Jong last year.
“Last year it happened and we were worse. We had an offer of €100m (£86m) for De Jong and we were right not to accept it. We’ve received offers for Pedri, Ansu Fati, Christensen, de Jong and Araujo but we think they have to continue. They are the present and the future of the club.”
De Jong has addressed the events of last summer and confirmed that his intention was always to remain in Barcelona.
He emphasized that his relationship with President Laporta remained unaffected despite the transfer speculation surrounding him throughout the season.
The former Ajax midfielder had a successful campaign with Barcelona, making 43 appearances and scoring two goals as the team clinched the La Liga title.
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United are thought to reignite their interest in the Dutch maestro. However, it is highly unlikely that the Spanish giants will sell their prized assets this summer.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag will be looking for other options and has already sealed Mason Mount’s transfer from Chelsea this week.
