Frenkie de Jong reveals he only planned to join Arsenal as a stepping stone to Barcelona before being signed by giants
Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 by Thesun.co.uk
Frenkie de Jong wanted to play for Arsenal before eventually moving to Barcelona Credit: Getty - Contributor
FRENKIE DE JONG revealed he planned to join Arsenal as a stepping stone to Barcelona before making his dream move to the Nou Camp.
The 22-year-old was unveiled by the La Liga champions this summer having agreed a ï¿¡65million deal from Ajax earlier this year.
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City were understood to be battling for the midfielder's signature but De Jong settled on Spain.
The youngster rose to prominence during Ajax's heroic Champions League run last season and he revealed he was inspired by his countryman Marc Overmars.
The 46-year-old, who is also the club's sporting director, played for the Dutch side before earning moves to Arsenal and then Barcelona, a career trajectory de Jong admits he thought he would follow.
He told Voetbal International: "In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, ??call it the Marc Overmars route.
"But then again, if you can go directly to Barcelona, ??then you are right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream."
De Jong put pen to paper on a five-year contract in January but it was his father who almost stole the show when he was finally unveiled this week.
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