After reportedly going close to leaving Barcelona in the recent transfer window, with Chelsea and Manchester United having tried to sign him, Frenkie de Jong has now revealed when he made his decision to stay at the Catalan giants.
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In what was a high-profile transfer story of the recent window, the Blaugrana reportedly tried to force the Dutch midfielder into leaving the club amid rumoured interest from the Blues and the Red Devils.
It was the latter who were believed to have struck a deal with Barcelona to sign De Jong, but a move failed to materialise as the 25-year-old pushed to continue in Spain despite the club's eagerness to sell him.
The Spanish giants were said to have encouraged De Jong to accept United's offer before rumours of a potential switch to Old Trafford slowly fizzled out. Chelsea later appeared to be favourites to lure him from LaLiga, but failed to attract a mutual desire from the ex-Ajax Amsterdam star.
De Jong, who had stayed silent throughout the saga, has since revealed that he made the call to fight for his place at Barcelona in May already, long before speculation suggested he was inching closer to a departure.
"I already decided in May that I wanted to stay at Barca," he said, according to Barca Universal.
"I never changed this decision."
The midfielder went on to insist that "nothing has changed" between him and his teammates since the window closed, and also admitted that he and the five-time UEFA Champions League winners had different ideas of what his future would look like.
De Jong joined Barcelona in 2019 from Ajax Amsterdam, and has since made 148 appearances for the club, contributing to 32 goals in all competitions.
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