Xavi sends fresh message to Manchester United transfer target Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona manager has reiterated that Frenkie de Jong remains an integral part of his plans amid continued speculation linking the midfielder with a summer move to Manchester United.

Erik ten Hag is set to begin work in earnest on overhauling the squad he will inherit from Ralf Rangnick having joined from Ajax to oversee the seismic rebuilding job required at Old Trafford.

United are set to lose a number of midfielders this summer, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata.

Strengthening United’s midfield engine room is, therefore, a priority for the new manager who worked closely with De Jong during their time together at Ajax.

The 25-year-old has begun to find his feet at Barcelona following hsi €75 million transfer nearly three years ago and has featured prominently under Xavi.

Barcelona’s dire financial situation, however, could forced the Catalan giants into parting with one of their prize assets in the summer, even if Xavi would be reluctant to let him leave.

Speaking ahead of the final game of the La Liga season, Xavi said: ‘For me, Frenkie is a great player, he’s a beast – I like him and I think he can be part of an important era of the club.

‘We will see the economic situation of the club… but I like de Jong.’

Despite the uncertainty, Xavi insists he has been ensured Barcelona will be able to sign players this summer and confirmed Robert Lewandowski, who is set to leave Bayern Munich, is a concrete target.

He added: ‘He’s one of the options, one of the possibilities. There are negotiations, he has one year of his contract left… it won’t be easy.

‘Laporta told me we’ll be able to reinforce the team, there’s confidence.’

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