Frenkie de Jong has revealed he may have joined one of Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City had he not secured a move to Barcelona during the summer.
The Dutchman joined La Blaugrana from Ajax in a £68m move, but had been courted by a whole host of major clubs across Europe after some glittering displays in the Eredivisie last season.
Such was his fine form during the last campaign, the 22-year-old was recently chosen as part of the FIFA FIFPro Men's World XI, featuring alongside new teammate Lionel Messi and fellow Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt.
De Jong has featured in all six of Barça's league games this season, netting once and providing an assist as he begins life in La Liga. It could, however, have been a different story. Despite insisting Ernesto Valverde's side were his first choice, had he have moved elsewhere then City could very well have been his destination.
"If it had not been Barca, I find it hard to say it now, it would have been PSG or City," he told El Periodico, via the Mirror.
Naturally, some may jump to the conclusion that De Jong is money-motivated, given the financial power of the two clubs mentioned. However, the midfielder insists that is not the case, and the style of football he will play was in fact the most crucial element as he chose Barcelona.
"It is not right to talk about [money]. Money was not my business. Money was never discussed in the meeting room with me. It was a matter for my agent. The most important thing was the way [Barcelona] played and how they saw me, what plans they had for me," he added.
"When [Barcelona] told me they saw me playing here, that they thought about this and that, then they really convinced me. I talked with my family and my agent and we chose Barca. Then my agent came here to negotiate."
Source :
90min
