"The club of my dreams..." - Man Utd receive huge transfer blow as key target rules summer move
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Manchester United have been dealt a huge transfer blow after a key midfield target rules out a move away this summer.
The Red Devils are already planning for the summer transfer window amid ongoing talks over a potential £6 billion takeover. Erik ten Hag wants to improve his squad further to mount a successful challenge for the title next season with a new striker top of his list.
Another area United want to add to is the midfield and ever since moving to Old Trafford last summer, the Dutch manager has been chasing the signature of Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong.
United made multiple attempts to sign him last year but they were left red-faced after he made it clear he wanted to stay.
However, given Barcelona's current financial issues, rumours about him moving to Old Trafford have resurfaced, and the Dutch international has been quick to state his intentions.
What did he say?
Speaking to TV3 (via the Daily Mail), De Jong said: "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."
It's a big blow for Ten Hag who wants a star midfielder to play alongside Casemiro next season and it looks like they'll have to switch their focus elsewhere.
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Given he has worked with Ten Hag successfully before he would have been the perfect candidate but with Barcelona riding high at the top of La Liga he doesn't want to go.
The Catalan giants failed to progress out of the group stages of the Champions League earlier this season and dropped down into the Europa League.
They lost to United in the first knockout round and De Jong admitted that the club need to do better.
"I expected to go much further in the Champions League and in the last two years we haven't made it past the group stage," he said.
"We have to do much better and this year we had a squad to do it, so we assume that it was our fault, we hope that next year we will do better."
He's not a quitter and is willing to stay despite Barca's struggles, but the Catalan club still need to find a way to reduce their wage bill quickly.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Manchester United, Frenkie De Jong, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Transfers, Barcelona
