Barcelona midfield mainstay Frenkie de Jong has no intention of making a switch to Premier League champions Manchester City.
According to a report from Catalan publication El Nacional, Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is not interested in signing for Manchester City even though the Catalans are open to the prospect of a sale.
De Jong has been with Barcelona for a little over two years now, having signed from AFC Ajax in 2019. The 24-year-old had a slow start to life at Camp Nou but grew in stature with time and was one of the Catalans’ better players last season. His form, though, has been a bit up and down this season.
With Barcelona’s finances being in disarray, the Catalans are considering the prospect of selling de Jong, as president Joan Laporta believes that the Netherlands international would help bring in funds while the club would also be getting his massive wages off the payroll.
Manchester City are among the clubs interested in signing the 24-year-old, with manager Pep Guardiola believed to be an admirer of the former Willem II youngster. Indeed, the Cityzens boss wanted to sign the Dutchman back in 2018 before he signed for Barcelona and is keen on launching a swoop for him now that the Catalans are willing to offload him.
With Fernandinho in the final leg of his career and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan in their thirties, it would make sense for the reigning champions of England to start preparing for the imminent future, making de Jong very much a viable transfer target.
However, as per the report, the Netherlands international has no intention of making the switch to Etihad at the moment. It is believed that de Jong wants to prove himself at Barcelona after being unable to quite show his best levels so far during his stint at Camp Nou.
New Barca manager Xavi Hernandez, for his part, wants to give the 24-year-old a chance to come good. But with Laporta seriously considering the possibility of a sale, de Jong will need to step up quickly and make his chances count, especially with the Blaugrana seeing the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez make their presence felt at the first-team level.
It is a question of ambition. A far stronger league and a far stronger squad. Does he have the self-belief to succeed in the premier-league playing against stronger opposition and does he have the self-belief to win a place in the City team?