Frenkie de Jong has already named his dream club amid transfer links to Manchester United and Liverpool this summer.

The Barcelona midfielder – who is reportedly the highest earner in La Liga at present – has been linked with a surprise swap deal which would see him move to Liverpool.

According to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra, Barca are considering launching a move for Liverpool star Luis Diaz – although this has been played down by English media.

However, it is claimed that, should Barca press ahead with the deal, De Jong could be inserted as part of a possible swap deal.

The midfielder has already named which Premier League club he considered joining before he made the move to Barca from Ajax in 2019 – and it was not Liverpool.

Instead, De Jong says that he grew up watching Arsenal matches featuring the likes of Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp.

He wanted to take what he called ‘the Marc Overmars route’, which was going from Ajax to Arsenal to Barcelona, and also spoke about his admiration for former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

He told Dutch outlet Voetbal International: “In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona. Call it the Marc Overmars route. I actually thought Arsenal was pretty beautiful [in] the past.

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“But yes, if you can go directly to Barcelona, then you are right where you want to be.

“The football that Barcelona play, the players that have been here, that still are here… Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. I watched that midfield.

“Then there is Lionel Messi, the very best in the world, my idol. Camp Nou, the stadium.

“Add all that together and it’s not complicated why many young boys choose Barcelona or Real Madrid as their favourite club.”

While Arsenal are in a much better position to attract talents like De Jong at present, they are not believed to be targeting additional midfielders and a move to Liverpool could be more likely – if the Dutchman even has any intention of leaving Barca should a deal be agreed.