'I want to stay at Barcelona all my life' - Frenkie de Jong reiterates commitment to Camp Nou side despite transfer speculation

• De Jong wants to stay at Barca for life
• Barca wanted to sell him last summer
• Manchester United main suitors

WHAT HAPPENED? De Jong has been the subject of constant transfer speculation over the last few years, with Manchester United the club most closely linked. Last summer the Dutch midfielder looked close to swapping the Camp Nou for Old Trafford and president Joan Laporta said the club rejected a €100 million offer for him this year. However, De Jong has now reiterated his desire to stay at Barca.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I always wanted to be at Barca," De Jong told El Periodico. "In these first years we had not won La Liga, nor gone far in the Champions League. We had only won one Copa del Rey. To succeed at Barca I had a lot left. And I also saw that the team was improving that summer. High level players arrived and that's why I wanted to continue. It is the club of my dreams and I want to be here all my life. I didn't want to leave suddenly."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Barcelona's need to raise funds was one of the main drivers behind speculation suggesting De Jong would be sold last summer. On that situation, he said: "Economically, Barca is not in its best moment. And they could get a lot of money for me. Maybe the club thought it was good to sell me and have that money. But I didn't want to leave. It was always clear to me. I did not want to. That's why I was very calm. I had decided."

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR DE JONG AND BARCA?: In the space of 12 months De Jong has gone from sellable asset to key player in Xavi's side. The Netherlands international is now one of the club's captains and is set to play a key role in their La Liga title defence.