De Jong breaks silence after not leaving Barcelona in the summer
The midfielder had plenty of offers but clear on the fact he wanted to stay put
Frenkie de Jong was one of the big names in the transfer window. After three years at Barcelona, he was strongly linked with an exit due to the club's delicate financial situation, but he ended up staying and now says "my intention was always to remain at Barça."
Joan Laporta's task as president was to reduce spending and improve the economy at Barça. One way of doing that was moving on De Jong, a player who would have commanded a big fee and who earns a big wage. Teams like Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United were keen on the Dutch international.
Despite that, De Jong did not want to change clubs. He considers Barcelona his him and wants to succeed at Camp Nou.
"I always wanted to stay at Barcelona," he said while with the Dutch national team this week. "So I was always calm during the summer. The club have their ideas and I have mine, sometimes they clash, but things were fine."
De Jong has started four games and come on as a substitute in four this season and says he would like to be playing more regularly.
"When I play less, I notice it," he added. "Not so much technically, because you still know how to play football, but more physically."
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