Rumoured Premier League target Frenkie De Jong has played down speculation linking him with a move away from Barcelona in the summer, insisting that he is ‘very happy’ at the Camp Nou.
The Dutchman has started 18 times in La Liga so far this campaign, and has also been an ever-present in Europe under both Ronald Koeman and new boss Xavi Hernandez. Despite his regular gametime however, the emergence of Pedri, Gavi and Nico in recent seasons, along with the continued evergreen nature of Sergio Busquets, led to speculation that he could be jettisoned.
That was further fuelled by Barcelona’s perceived need for financial wiggle room, with the Athletic reporting that the Blaugrana could be willing to cash in should a big-money move be made for him in January.
This never transpired, and now speaking to the Guardian, the 22 year old has reiterated his happiness in Catalonia and how he wants to remain a key cog in the Barcelona wheel.
'I’m very happy I’m at Barcelona', he told the outlet.
'From a young age I’ve wanted to be here, so in that way it has been a dream come true. But, of course, I would have liked to win more trophies than we did in my first two years. I expected more in that sense, let’s put it that way. But other than that, I’m very happy here and hopefully for many more years.'
Messi the best ever?
De Jong was also quick to hand out big praise to former teammate Lionel Messi, who has struggled since leaving Barcelona for Paris Saint Germain in the summer.
'I think he is the best in pretty much all aspects of football', the Dutchman explained. 'Whether we did finishing drills, positioning plays or other training games: he was the best. No praise about him is exaggerated. For me he is the best ever.'
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/xlmedia/75056cb2-70a2-47ac-a9bf-dc86877bc260.png)
