Barcelona head coach Javi Hernandez has confirmed that he is not aware of the fate of his teammate, Dutch international Frenkie de Jong, who, according to several reports, moved to Manchester United this summer.
“I don’t know if De Jong will stay here,” Xavi said in a comment quoted by Italy’s Fabrizio Romano, an expert on player transfers in Europe. Anything can happen.”
Javi on de Jong: “I don’t know if he’ll stay here… I’ve never sent Frankie a message. There is still time, and much more can happen.” ???????? #FCB
“The fact that he has played as a centre-back in other games is not a sign that he is leaving.” pic.twitter.com/KKgtkIa59L
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 31, 2022
“The fact that De Jong has played as a centre-back in recent matches is not a sign of his departure,” added the Barcelona coach.
Some reports have claimed that Xavi promoted De Jong to a position other than his main position (in midfield) to force him to leave Barcelona this summer.
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Manchester United to sign the Dutch player as United agreed to pay Barcelona €75m in addition to De Young’s €10m.
However, De Jong, whose contract with Barcelona runs until June 2026, has delayed completing his move to Manchester United.
The Dutchman has played 140 games for Barcelona in various competitions since joining the Catalan team from Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam in 2019 for €75m.
Source: Fabrizio Romano.