Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong admits he found talk of a possible move to Barcelona “fun” at first, but now considers the incessant transfer speculation to be “annoying”.
The 21-year-old is considered to be one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, with such potential inevitably registering on the radars of leading clubs across the continent.
Barca are considered to view the Netherlands international as a long-term successor to Andres Iniesta, with Goal having revealed their interest in doing a €30 million (£27m/$35m) deal over the summer.
Ajax made it clear at that point that they were under no financial pressure to sell and intended to retain the services of a number of academy graduates drawing admiring glances from afar.