Frenkie de Jong has already made his transfer stance clear amid Manchester United links

Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Frenkie de Jong ahead of the summer transfer window swinging open.

The Dutch midfielder has been with Barcelona since 2019, when he arrived on a fee of around £78million.

Since then, de Jong has done a rather average job overall, holding his own in the Barca midfield but struggling to show some of the magic he had during his Ajax days.

For that reason, it seems cash-strapped Barca could be willing to offload de Jong at the right price as they look to strengthen their squad this summer.

United, armed with a new Dutch boss in Erik ten Hag, are said to be interested, and the latest reports suggest they are waiting for an answer from the midfielder.

De Jong is said to be unsure about his future as he links up with the Netherlands squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures.

But we haven’t heard much at all from the player’s camp, so what do his previous quotes tell us about his mindset?

Quite simply, they suggest de Jong wants to stay at Camp Nou long term.

The midfielder said back in February when exit links first emerged: “I’m very happy to be at Barcelona. “I’ve wanted to be here since I was little so it’s been a dream come true.

“Of course I would have liked to have won more trophies than I have in my first two years.

“I expected more in that sense, let’s put it like that. But apart from that I’m very happy here and I hope to be here for many more years.”

After the conclusion of the La Liga season last week, de Jong wrote in an Instagram post: “It has been a disappointing season for us. We couldn’t achieve the goals we set at the beginning.

“But I want to thank the fans for their support this year. We will work hard to do better next season.”

Those quotes heavily suggest de Jong is planning to stay put, but it is worth keeping in mind that if the club want him out, he may be swayed.

Barca have not made that clear at this point, but they don’t seem to be throwing their backing behind the Dutchman, either.