Frenkie de Jong, a star for Barcelona, “had negotiations” with Man City.
Before midfielder Frenkie de Jong signed with the Spanish powerhouse Barcelona in 2019, Manchester City allegedly spoke with his father.
The Dutchman, 25, was a key member of the team that advanced to the 2018–19 Champions League semifinal after making an impression when playing for Ajax. De Jong was connected to several teams all around the world, but he finally decided to join Barcelona.
The Netherlands international’s situation might have been considerably different, however, as his father allegedly said Manchester City was interested in signing him.
“He spoke with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain. All of them desired Frenkie “John, his father, said with The Athletic. “He was curious. Guardiola is a fantastic coach. Tuchel is a fantastic coach. You talk to them because they’re good clubs. When Barcelona arrived, everything became obvious to Frenkie.”
In other news, Calciomercato has reported that the Blues will face off against Chelsea, a Premier League rival, to sign Brazilian teenager Andrey Santos.
The 18-year-old, who has eight goals in 33 league appearances, has drawn interest from several European teams. Newcastle, Barcelona, PSG, and Real Madrid are all reportedly keeping an eye on the midfielder as a result of his impressive performances.
According to the report, Guardiola, who just signed a new two-year contract at the Etihad, is confident that he can entice the player to the club. Given that Santos has a contract that runs through June 2027, it is anticipated that any club interested in signing the midfielder will need to pay a fee of € 15 million.
Vasco da Gama and City have a history together; in 2017, City paid €12 million to acquire midfielder Douglas Luiz from the Brazilian team, who is now playing for Aston Villa.
