Blow to Man Utd as Frenkie de Jong holds ‘positive’ contract talks with Barcelona sporting director Deco amid continued exit links

According to Sport, De Jong's agent Ali Dursun, engaged in fruitful discussions with Barcelona's management, signalling a step towards a potential renewal of the midfielder's contract. The club finds itself in a challenging financial situation, which might compel it to offload key players to alleviate the debt burden.

Despite rumoured interest from Manchester United, the Catalan club aims to retain the Dutch midfielder as they consider him indispensable to the team's future success.

The report suggests that Barcelona have already presented a renewal offer to De Jong and the player is currently sitting on the proposal as it will see his salary reduced. During the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, Deco enquired about the same.

Speculations regarding De Jong's dissatisfaction and desire to seek new opportunities were dispelled by the player himself during a press conference preceding Barcelona's Champions League fixture against Napoli.

"I'm doing great here. I'm very happy at Barça, it's the club of my dreams and I hope to continue playing here for many years," said De Jong.

Deco shares a cordial relationship with De Jong's agent and the club official reportedly underscored the club's commitment to retaining him, despite the financial constraints. The player will be in action against Getafe on Saturday in a La Liga encounter.