Why Frenkie de Jong has constantly dismissed a move to Manchester United - but will do so truth be told

United manager Erik ten Hag has made the Dutch midfielder a priority signing, and the Reds are close to completing a deal despite De Jong telling the world that he is content in Barcelona.

Frenkie de Jong has been caught between a rock and a hard place this summer. But the Dutch midfielder for Barcelona is used to it. He's already been there. Twice.

De Jong refuses to leave the Nou Camp for Manchester United. Or, at the very least, he didn't believe Erik ten Hag when he told his new employers at Old Trafford that the 25-year-old was the player who could get the Reds ticking again.

But when Barcelona coach Xavi began publicly discussing the "economic reasons" why the Catalan club should consider what United had to offer, he realized his time in Spain was coming to an end.

So, why did De Jong choose to dismiss a potential move to Manchester when asked about his future while on international duty with Holland earlier this month?

"It's always flattering when teams show interest in you," De Jong said. "But I'm currently at the world's largest club, and I'm fine there."

De Jong knew that Barcelona would never sell him for the kind of money that United was offering. A fee of £51 million plus add-ons would never suffice.

So De Jong was never going to exaggerate his chances of joining United and risk alienating Barcelona fans if the deal never materialized. That would be the equivalent of Paul Ince holding up a Manchester United shirt before a deal to sign him from West Ham was finalized.

De Jong understands from past experience that anything can happen in football. And he has always been aware of his own thoughts. De Jong was born in the small village of Arkel in the province of South Holland to a family of Feyenoord supporters.

So it was a huge thrill for the De Jong family when Frenkie was offered a place in the Rotterdam club's academy after being identified as a highly talented schoolboy prospect.

De Jong initially accepted Feyenoord's offer, only to surprise his family, friends, and club officials by announcing his intention to join Willem II, a relatively small club based in Tilburg that won the last of its three Eredivisie titles in 1955.

De Jong's closest friends had signed for Willem II, and he felt that being around familiar faces would help his development as a player. De Jong was proven correct. He made his senior debut just two days before his 18th birthday before being signed by Ajax.

However, De Jong's temperament was put to the test again in the winter of 2019 when it became clear that clubs were willing to pay a high price for a player who had been instrumental in Ajax's league and cup double and progress to the Champions League semi-finals.

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