Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the club have no intention of selling Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed the Catalan club have ‘no intention’ of selling Frenkie de Jong this summer.

The Dutch central midfielder is Manchester United’s main target this summer as Erik ten Hag looks to sign the player he influenced so much during his time at Ajax.

It was reported last week that the two clubs had reached a breakthrough in negotiations over De Jong’s transfer to Manchester United, but Laporta appears to have backtracked on those developments saying the club would like to retain him this summer.

Speaking publicly on one of the most publicized sagas of this summer window, Laporta said several clubs want him but Barcelona would ideally keep the player they signed in 2019.

He said: “There are clubs who want him, not just United. We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay.

“Frenkie is considered one of the best midfielders in the world by all the experts. We are happy to have it.

Erik ten Hag played a key role in raising Frenkie de Jong during their time together at Ajax

Barcelona’s difficult financial situation means the club must offload players this summer in order to bring in players and then register them in time for the season.

They are currently unable to register Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, signed on free transfers from Chelsea and AC Milan respectively, due to the need for them to reduce their wage bill. They’re crippled by La Liga’s one-in-four rule, which means for every million they spend, they have to save four million.

Laporta’s comments were nuanced by an admission that it wouldn’t be easy to keep De Jong due to the difficult financial situation the club find themselves in.

“I will do everything in my power to keep Frenkie here, but there is also a salary issue and that should be adjusted,” he said.

Joan Laporta said the club wanted to keep Frenkie de Jong – a player, he said, who “experts” regard as one of the best in the world.

Frenkie de Jong called Barcelona ‘the biggest club in the world’ last month amid exit talk

Should De Jong stay at Barcelona, ​​the option he has publicly declared as his preference, it would be a real blow to Ten Hag and Manchester United as the club have apparently put a lot of eggs in De Jong’s proverbial basket.

Managing director Richard Arnold’s leaked meeting with supporters at a Cheshire pub revealed De Jong topped the club’s list of priorities this summer, with the midfielder identified as the ideal player to kick off the revolution led by Ten Hag.

Last month, De Jong said Barcelona were the ‘biggest club’ in the world when asked about a possible transfer elsewhere.

“You are always flattered when teams are interested in you as a player,” he said.

“But I think I’m at the biggest club in the world at the moment, I feel good there, so no news.”