Fabrizio Romano has rowed back on a startling claim doing the rounds over a potential Frenkie de Jong move to Man Utd.
The Dutch maestro, 25, was Manchester United’s primary midfield target last summer. The Red Devils did strike a deal with Barcelona worth around £75m, per the Athletic. However, De Jong laid waste to the move when simply refusing to swap Catalonia for the north west of England.
United ultimately landed Casemiro from Barca’s bitter rivals Real Madrid instead. However, Ten Hag’s interest in fellow Dutchman De Jong has not subsided.
Man Utd fans were given a new ray of hope last week when talkSPORT reported there had been a thawing in De Jong’s firm stance about not leaving Barcelona.
The outlet reported a De Jong deal was ‘back on’ after the midfielder got a taste of United’s revival under Ten Hag when knocking Barcelona out of the Europa League. The idea of forming an elite midfield pairing with Casemiro also reportedly appealed.
However, when speaking to Spanish outlet RAC1, De Jong dashed the renewed hope when publicly stating he wishes to remain in Barcelona for “many years”.
Now, responding to both the exit speculation and De Jong’s comments, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has set the record straight once and for all.
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De Jong to Man Utd? Romano delivers final verdict
“Frenkie has not changed his position,” Romano told his YouTube channel. “The interest is there from Premier League clubs, Man Utd… Erik ten Hag is a big fan.
“But not only [United]. Last summer Chelsea were interested in De Jong and many other clubs have [monitored] the player, he’s a fantastic midfielder.
“But at the moment De Jong has not changed his position. He loves Barcelona, he loves the club, he loves the city.
“He has a great relationship with Xavi and he’s playing, the new system is helping him.
“Clubs have interest in Frenkie, but Frenkie has no interest in moving. At the moment, the situation is completely quiet and his plan is to stay at Barcelona.”
With De Jong destined to remain in Spain, United and Ten Hag will have to abandon their transfer plans a second time and explore other targets.
On that front, Chelsea’s Mason Mount is fast emerging as a genuine summer target if Ten Hag is determined to add a new dimension in midfield.
