Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona was much a talking point over the opening half of the season, but such talk quieted down following the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as the club's new manager. Now, as the summer transfer window is looming ahead, de Jong’s long-term status with the Catalan side is once again being questioned.

As of late, the Dutch midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester United as of late. The Premier League side recently appointed Erik ten Hag to be its new manager for the 2022-2023 season, and he would be open to reuniting with de Jong. The soon-to-be-former Ajax manager coached de Jong for two seasons before the Dutch international’s move to Barca.

From Barca manager Xavi Hernandez's perspective, he aspires to see de Jong carry on his career at the club for years to come, which he touched on ahead of the La Liga home fixture against Rayo Vallecano.

“He’s very important, he has to mark an era at the club,” Xavi said. “He is at a very good level and must continue. He can be one of the best midfielders in the world in the future. If it were up to me, he would continue at Barcelona for many more years.”

As mentioned, de Jong’s future at Barca was in question over the opening half of the campaign. However, he did note in February that he aims to stay at the club for “many more years.”

“I’m very happy I’m at Barcelona: from a young age I’ve wanted to be here, so in that way it has been a dream come true,” de Jong said. “But I would have liked to win more trophies than we did in my first two years. I expected more in that sense. Let’s put it that way. But other than that, I’m very happy here and hopefully for many more years.”

In the big picture, de Jong still has four more seasons remaining on his contract deal with Barca club officials. While Barca may be able to afford to lose the versatile midfielder due to its keen depth at the position, he could very well remain with the club past the upcoming transfer window.