sport news Frenkie de Jong breaks his silence and insists he 'always wanted to stay' at ... trends now Frenkie de Jong breaks his silence on his summer of turmoil at Barcelona as he insists he 'always wanted to stay' at the Spanish giants despite their desire to sell him - but admits his ideas 'clashed' with the club's amid Man United interest Frenkie de Jong finally brakes his silence on why he snubbed Man Utd move Dutchman says he always wanted to stay at Barcelona but club wanted to sell Erick ten Hag made the midfielder his number one target over the summer By Ash Rose For Mailonline Published: 19:52 BST, 21 September 2022 | Updated: 19:53 BST, 21 September 2022 Viewcomments Frankie de Jong has broken his silence on the Manchester United transfer saga that dominated the summer and revealed he never wanted to move to Old Trafford. The Dutch star was incoming Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag's number one target, and at one point had agreed a fee with Barcelona to bring De Jong to the club. However, agreeing personal terms proved too difficult, with the 25-year-old determined to stay with the LaLiga giants. Frenkie de Jong says he always wanted to stay at Barcelona despite Man Utd's summer interest The Dutch star admitted that he and the Spanish club were not always on the same page Barcelona were keen on cashing in on De Jong as they looked to ease their perilous financial situation. With United willing to pay £65million to secure the Dutchman's signature, a figure the Barca hierarchy were keen on taking. Yet De Jong, despite the club owning him a hefty sum in wages, stood firm and has now addressed the situation while on media duty for Netherlands' upcoming Nations League fixtures with Poland and Belgium. When asked about the interest from the Premier League over the summer, De Jong said: 'Chelsea and Man United interest? I already decided in May that I wanted to stay at Barcelona. I never changed this decision during the summer.' Reiterating his stance that he was never open to a move away from the Nou Camp. Erik ten Hag had made De Jong his number on target this summer but the move didn't happen He later added that at times during the summer he and Barcelona did not always agree on where he would be playing his football this season. 'I can't give too much details away. But look.. the club has it's own idea's and I have my own idea's too and sometimes this clashes with each other. But at the end of the day things went okay.' United spent most the summer chasing De Jong and many expected the midfielder to link-up with his former Ajax manager once again in Manchester. Many expected to see De Jong reunited with boss Ten Hag after playing under him at Ajax However, as the weeks ticked down it became clear that United would need to find alternative options, and instead drafted in former Spurs star Christian Eriksen on a free transfer after leaving Brentford. Eriksen was followed by De Jong's LaLiga rival Casemiro, who ended a nine-year stint at Real Madrid to join the Red Devils in a £60million deal. Both players have been quick hits at Old Trafford and after a disappointing start to the season, United are now on a four-match winning run in the Premier League. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility