"The reality..." - Romano claims top Ten Hag target set to stay at club in fresh Man Utd blow

Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong is likely to stay at Barcelona this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, in a fresh blow to boss Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag is known to be a huge fan of De Jong, having managed him whilst the pair were at Ajax.

The Dutch midfielder left the Eredivisie giants in 2019, and United were continuously linked with a move for the 25-year-old last summer after Ten Hag took charge at Old Trafford.

But the protracted transfer saga did not have a positive conclusion for United, with De Jong staying put at Barcelona.

And after a difficult start to the season in terms of game time, De Jong has been almost ever-present in Barca's starting lineup since October.

Despite this, United supporters remain hopeful that the Dutchman could be convinced to swap Barcelona for Old Trafford, especially after the Red Devils knocked Xavi's side out of the Europa League last month.

However, Romano claims this is unlikely to happen.

Romano on De Jong future

On his official YouTube channel, Romano explained that Ten Hag remains keen on bringing the player to United, but that Barcelona and De Jong have no plans to cut ties at the end of the campaign.

He adds that this could change - although it is more than likely that De Jong will not switch clubs in the near future.

Romano explained: "Manchester United wanted Frenkie de Jong, and this is not new.

"We know how Erik ten Hag is a big fan of De Jong. He's always been a big fan of De Jong, and this is not changing. Erik ten Hag would love to have De Jong with him.

"But the reality, as of today, is that Frenkie has not communicated to anyone that he wants to leave or that he wants to be on the market.

"Frenkie is happy with Barcelona. He's playing, he's an important player for Xavi. At the moment, the situation is under control between Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona.

"Then we will see, in the summer, if it will change on the player's side or the club's side. At the moment, the idea is for Frenkie de Jong to be involved in Barcelona, and he is 100 per cent involved in the project."

He went on to add: "We know in the summer, things can always change in general, in the transfer market. We have to follow that one.

"But at the moment, with Manchester United, we know the big love of Erik ten Hag of Frenkie de Jong, but nothing else to mention."