Joan Laporta, according to Frenkie de Jong, put pressure on him to leave Barcelona.

Barcelona had a busy summer, involving a number of star signings. Their outgoings were somewhat less impressive though, dragging out right until the end of the window.

One of the dominant stories was Frenkie de Jong. Manchester United pursued him, but as much as that, Barcelona decided that he was the saleable asset that they were content to see depart.

That transformed to an intense summer for the Dutchman full of media speculation. Speaking to Ziggo Sport ahead of El Clasico, de Jong addressed a frenetic period. Sport carried his comments.

“I was calm. I decided, in May, that I wanted to stay at Barcelona.”

“My opinion never changed during that whole time. I remained calm. But after that, well you already know. The pressure started to come… from the papers, from the President… from all sides in fact. But I wanted to stay, so it never unsettled me.”

De Jong has since lost his place in the Barcelona team to youngster Gavi, starting just four of the ten matches he has been available for.

“Let’s just speak about football. I knew I would have less minutes at the start of the season.”

“I want to be a starter again. I hope to be so against Real Madrid.”

The Dutch midfielder may not be out of the woods yet. Given Barcelona are likely to miss out on significant income from the Champions League knockout stages, the Blaugrana will be forced to look at further cost-cutting measures in the coming transfer windows.