“In football, you never know. I am unable to say categorically. All of it is determined by the several parties. But in principle, I can say there may be a robust possibility he stays, and I can say as president I’ll do my best for him to remain at Barcelona.
“The very first thing to say is we wish Frenkie to remain at Barcelona. We love the player and him as a human being. I need him to remain at Barcelona. He’s a high-quality player and a superb guy. I also know that he desires to stay.”
United apparently remain hopeful of concluding their long-pursuit of De Jong by striking a deal. Reports from the Spanish press this week claim that Chelsea have stepped up their interest and will hijack United’s move.
