The Barcelona star is United’s top summer target, with new manager Erik ten Hag hoping to reunite with the player who was so important to him at Ajax.
When asked about United’s interest in him, De Jong responded, ‘You’re always flattered when teams show interest in you as a player, but I’m at the biggest club in the world right now and I feel fine there, so no news.’
Barcelona values De Jong at around £70 million and considers him to be one of the best midfielders in the game.
For much of the game against Wales, he controlled the show for the Dutch, who nearly escaped with a tie despite falling behind 2-0.
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Sportsmail has stated that United’s interest in Christian Eriksen of Denmark did not rule out a deal for De Jong, who is seen as their top target.
Eriksen’s availability as a free agent is an appealing option for United, who are working on a tight budget this summer after missing out on the Champions League.
Although the former Tottenham and Ajax star are 30 years old and No 10 is not a priority position for United, with Donny van de Beek, set to return to Old Trafford as competition for Bruno Fernandes, the club must replace three attacking midfielders following the departures of Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, and Paul Pogba, who was close to rejoining Juventus on Tuesday night.
United considers De Jong as a different type of midfielder and will continue talks with Barcelona over the former Ajax star, who is valued at £70 million, regardless of a deal for Eriksen.
United is yet to submit a formal bid for the 25-year-old Holland international but is prepared to walk away from the deal and pursue other options if the two parties cannot agree on a price.
Before joining Barcelona, De Jong played under Ten Hag as Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
‘For me, he is a very essential player,’ Barcelona manager Xavi remarked last month of De Jong. He has virtually always been a starter.
‘He is a crucial footballer, but there is also the economic position, on which we all rely.’
‘We need to know the financial condition in order to make certain decisions, and then we’ll choose one or the other – not just with Frenkie, but in general.’
‘He is a player I really like, but we’ll see how things go.’
