Barcelona boss Xavi makes Frenkie de Jong transfer admission amid Manchester United interest

Barcelona manager Xavi admits he does not know if Frenkie de Jong will stay at the Nou Camp this summer amid long-standing interest in the Netherlands midfielder from Manchester United.

De Jong, 25, remains the priority target for Erik ten Hag after the newly-appointed Dutchman struck up moves for Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. An ongoing push for De Jong has not been straightforward, though, despite United initially reaching an agreement in principle.

Complications have arisen due to wages that were deferred by De Jong during the Covid-19 pandemic and it was understood that money would effectively be paid back over the duration of his four-year contract. However, there has yet to be a breakthrough in that regard and it seems De Jong doesn't want to leave Barca.

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De Jong has, surprisingly, been used as a centre-back throughout pre-season. However, in Barcelona's final summer outing Stateside, they deployed the former Ajax playmaker in his usual central-midfield position before Xavi was, once again, pressed on his future post-match.

It was De Jong's first start on tour and Barcelona were 2-0 winners against MLS franchise New York Red Bulls.

During his post-match interview, Xavi 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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