Frenkie de Jong reveals anger at being pressured to leave Barcelona for United

Frenkie de Jong has broken his silence on the transfer saga that dominated the summer of 2022, revealing he was furious at feeling pressured to leave Barcelona for Manchester United and that the relentless speculation drove him to stop speaking to the media altogether.

The Netherlands midfielder, who has since signed a new Barcelona contract running until 2029, told Spanish outlet SPORT that he now regrets going quiet — but insists the circumstances left him with little choice. “There was a time when they pressured me to leave the club and there came a point when I was very angry and didn’t want to talk anymore,” he said. “People only hear opinions or things through the press and newspapers, and they don’t listen to you.”

De Jong also pointed to Barcelona’s financial difficulties at the time as the root cause of the speculation. He said he repeatedly rejected approaches from other clubs, only to find that some figures inside the Catalan club were willing to entertain offers regardless. “I always said no. So there was no option. What happened that summer is that, even though I said no, some teams came to the club and offered money for me. And within Barca — not everyone, but some people — thought they were good offers and wanted to sell me.”

The comments shed new light on one of the most drawn-out transfer stories of recent years. Erik ten Hag, then newly appointed as United manager, was widely reported to have made De Jong his primary target, with the two having worked together at Ajax. The deal ultimately collapsed, with De Jong staying at Camp Nou.

The midfielder’s remarks come as Manchester United’s new head coach Michael Carrick begins his first summer in charge, with the club reportedly set to benefit from a £19 million windfall linked to a transfer activity elsewhere — funds that could help finance Carrick’s squad rebuild ahead of the new season.