Man Utd dealt blow in De Jong pursuit

James Shearman

• 18 Mar 2023 13:27 CDT
• 1 min read

Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their long-standing pursuit of Frenkie de Jong after the midfielder pledged his allegiance to Barcelona.

Erik ten Hag is a big admirer of his countryman since he coached the 25-year-old at Ajax and was keen on acquiring the Netherlands international last summer.

De Jong instead opted to stay in Spain but interest from United has barely faded and he's a player they've maintained a keen eye on.

However, that all may have been put to bed after the De Jong's recent comments which revealed his plans to prolong his stay at the Camp Nou.

De Jong told TV3: "I hope I will play at the new Camp Nou. Barcelona is the club of my dreams, so I plan to stay for many years."