Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong is not interested in leaving Barcelona and hopes to continue his recent improvement on the pitch.
De Jong struggled greatly under former boss Ronald Koeman, looking a shell of the player Barcelona paid £65m to sign from Ajax in 2019, and rumours of a potential departure from Camp Nou were rife towards the end of Koeman's reign and in the January transfer window.
Bayern Munich were often touted as a major suitor, while interest from Premier League duo Chelsea and Liverpool was reported as well, but it all amounted to nothing and De Jong remained at Barcelona.
According to Sport, Barcelona were never really interested in offloading De Jong and the player himself also had no desire to leave, having rediscovered his best form following the arrival of Xavi in the Camp Nou dugout.
There were, however, some voices higher up in the club who were not against De Jong's potential departure and continue to see selling the 24-year-old as a beneficial way of raising a significant sum of money.
A summer departure has not been ruled out but it is stressed that De Jong will not look for an exit and will do his best to resist any attempts to sell him.
De Jong has been a permanent starter since Xavi returned to Barcelona and believes that the new boss now understands his play style and can help him reach the next level which many felt he would have hit by now.
It is suggested that De Jong will need to maintain this level of form until the end of the season to guarantee that he will not be sold. Some Barcelona chiefs see the emergence of academy stars Gavi and Nico as the perfect sign that they can move on from De Jong, with fellow youngster Pedri also a guaranteed starter when fit.
De Jong hopes to prove his doubters wrong and force Barcelona to accept his worth, but this still feels like a transfer story worth keeping an eye on.
This article was originally published on 90min as Frenkie de Jong not interested in Barcelona exit.
Source: www.90min.com