Barcelona remain convinced they will land coveted Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong ahead of a plethora of European heavyweights.

De Jong, 21, has been linked to the Catalans since the summer. The startling rise of the new Netherlands cap, however, has also caught the attention of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Mundo Deportivo have stated the La Liga champions remain convince they are the player’s priority. They hope to agree a deal, worth up to 80 million, in January and then loan him back to Ajax for the remainder of 2018/19.

De Jong recently told Ziggo Sport of his intention to one day play alongside Lionel Messi.

“If you end up in a club of a higher level, you will play with world-class players anyway. But I would really like to play with Messi someday,” he said.

“We were on vacation in Spain and my grandfather bought me Messi’s shirt with the 30, his shirt number then.

“My grandfather knew that I liked Messi and I wore that shirt all the time. Of course I would like to play with him.

“He’s already 31, so I have to hurry up.”