Frenkie de Jong private conversation with Man United legend revealed as he explains why summer transfer fell through

Dwight Yorke has revealed a private conversation he had with Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong last summer as Manchester United were eager for his signature.

The Dutch midfielder was Erik ten Hag’s main target in his first transfer window at Old Trafford but he decided to remain in Spain.

Despite signing Casemiro, who has been crucial to the improvement of the team, instead of De Jong, United are still missing that midfield controller. This is why several reports still suggest that Ten Hag will go in for De Jong again this coming summer.

Yorke, 51, won three Premier League titles, as well as an FA Cup and a Champions League trophy with The Reds during his four-year spell with the club. He has recently detailed a conversation he had with De Jong in the midst of his transfer saga which explains why he decided to stay at the Camp Nou.

“I actually spoke to Frenkie De Jong when we played against him in the A-League All-Stars game in Australia,” Yorke told Premier League Betting. “I have a little bit of insight, he wanted to see what Barcelona would become under the new guidance of Xavi and see how that panned out before he decided if he wanted to join Manchester United.”

Xavi’s Barca are currently top of La Liga and look set to win the league for the first time since 2019. However, they were knocked out of the Europa League by Ten Hag’s United last month.

De Jong was one of the best players on the pitch in his side’s 2-1 defeat at the Theatre of Dreams.

There remains the hope that the midfielder could be swayed by the improvements United have made under his former Ajax manager, and there are problems at Barcelona that could possibly make a deal viable. Yet, his importance to their team has increased this season.

The signing of a player of this ilk is crucial for the next phase of Ten Hag’s process at the club.

“But there is a Dutch connection with Erik Ten Hag,” continued Yorke. “De Jong would be a great pick because he’s an excellent player. He would be the player that would fit into that midfield next to Casemiro and give us a bit more stability. Manchester United would have a very solid core to the team if he was to join.”