Ronald Koeman reminds Man Utd have key De Jong concern, quoting fresh statement from Barcelona star

Former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has revealed a conversation in which Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong cemented his desire to stay put.

United have been chasing the Barca midfielder for a number of weeks now. Despite much uncertainty about whether a deal would go ahead, both sides have made recent progress.

The Red Devils and Barcelona have a loose agreement over a fee worth an initial £56million, with bonuses taking that figure to around £64million.

But while the two clubs are now negotiating well, uncertainty remains over whether it is just the teams fuelling the deal and whether De Jong truly wants the move to Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old has previously stated that he wants to stay at Barcelona. And Koeman, who worked with his fellow Dutchman while in the Camp Nou dugout, has revealed a fresh conversation with De Jong.

Koeman then brought back up the prospect of the transfer being purely driven by the two clubs.

“The only thing I know from Frenkie is that he wants to stay at Barca,” Koeman told TV3.

“In fact, a couple of days ago he said that: ‘I want to stay at Barca.’

“But I don’t know if Barca want to sell Frenkie de Jong or if they just need the money – because I think he is one of the few players they have that has such a high price.”

Barca have De Jong transfer plan

De Jong shot to fame at Ajax under new Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag. He subsequently earned his big-money move to Barca in the summer of 2019.

Since then, though, Barcelona have suffered financial turmoil and are still feeling the effects of their struggles. They want new faces in such as Leeds United winger Raphinha and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.

Frenkie De Jong confirms he wants to stay at Barcelona

Frenkie De Jong confirms his intention to stay at Barcelona saying he’s at the worlds biggest club

They hoped to secure a cut-price deal for the Brazilian in the event of Leeds suffering relegation. But they stayed up, meaning Raphinha has a higher price tag.

As a result, Barca reportedly see De Jong as a saleable asset who can bring in enough funds to get them to be able to afford £60million-rated Raphinha.

Man Utd getting impressive midfielder

Despite the uncertainty over De Jong’s mindset, it looks as though the midfielder will secure a move to Man Utd.

Barca need to sell him and United need a new marquee midfield signing after letting four players in that area leave this summer.

In any case, Ten Hag has reportedly eased any concerns De Jong may have about settling in at Old Trafford.

The pair enjoyed a fantastic relationship in Amsterdam and the midfielder can certainly help begin the United revolution under his fellow Dutchman.