A lot has been written about the future of Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona recently, which even forced the midfielder to come out and criticise the Spanish media for spreading what he called were ‘lies’.

“My future? The truth is that I’m a bit pissed off with what you people [journalists] write in general! A lot of things are coming out that are not true, it’s irritating me,” he said.

“Everything that is said in the media about my salary and my future are lies. It’s a lot of smoke.”

While it may be so, there is no denying that De Jong is a player who has a lot of admirers in the market and would fetch a sizeable fee if he were sold and Barcelona can do with that income.

Manchester United revive interest

Now, reports in England, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, are claiming that Manchester United have revived their interest in signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.

It is no secret that the Premier League giants are long-term admirers of the 26-year-old, having made serious attempts to sign him a couple of years in 2022.

A move appeared likely with Barcelona reaching an agreement with Manchester United but De Jong held firm and refused to leave causing the operation to fall through.

Now, though, with new investment coming into the team from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, Manchester United are prepared to go big in the summer market and have identified De Jong as a key target, along with Harry Kane.

De Jong is a target for Manchester United. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

It is no secret that Erik ten Hag is a great admirer of the midfielder, having worked with him at AFC Ajax and wants him at Old Trafford to become one of the leaders of Man United.

Sale unlikely

Despite the rekindled interest from Manchester United, it appears unlikely that Barcelona will offload Frenkie de Jong in the summer.

The 26-year-old is a key player and one of the club captains and the idea is to hand him a new contract, albeit with a lower salary, to keep him in Catalonia.

De Jong, for his part, has time and again said that he is happy at the club and wants to stay, a message he reiterated in the press conference earlier this week, saying:

“I am really happy here. Barcelona was and is the club of my life, it was my dream to play here and it still is.”