Frenkie de Jong drops biggest transfer hint yet amid Manchester United interest

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has indicated that he will be staying at the Nou Camp next season.

The midfielder is a target for Manchester United with Erik ten Hag keen to rekindle their Ajax relationship. The pair have a strong bond after helping the Dutch giants to within seconds of the 2019 Champions League final prior to De Jong’s exit six months later.

Ten Hag is expected to produce a squad overhaul this summer, with midfield recruitment high on the priority list. The 52-year-old will start his tenure at United with limited resources in the centre of the park when Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba all leave next month.

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United are said to be after a domineering midfielder with the likes of Ruben Neves, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice being touted for potential moves. But De Jong’s rapport with Ten Hag is thought to be a decisive factor in his hunt for new personnel. The Manchester Evening News reported earlier this month that the Reds were weighing up a potential £75m move.

Barcelona have had an underwhelming season having had a disastrous start to the campaign before being eliminated in both the Champions League and the Europa League. In the end, they managed to salvage a second place La Liga finish under Xavi.

However, De Jong knows that the paying fans expect much more from their side. And in an Instagram post addressing this, he seemed to hint that he was staying in Spain next season.

On Tuesday, he wrote: "It has been a disappointing season for us. We couldn't achieve the goals we set at the beginning.

“But I want to thank the fans for their support this year. We will work hard to do better