Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has denied that Liverpool are planning a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a switch away from Camp Nou over the summer, with Manchester United seemingly determined to bring him to the Premier League.
The 20-time English champions ultimately failed in their pursuit, though, with the Netherlands international remaining at Barcelona past the summer deadline.
There is again speculation surrounding De Jong's future, with Man United thought to be considering reigniting their interest at the start of 2023.
Meanwhile, a recent report claimed that Liverpool are keen to sign the midfielder, with the club's head coach Jurgen Klopp viewing him as the ideal acquisition next year.
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However, Romano has said that "nothing has changed" when it comes to the midfielder's future, with the player still determined to stay at Camp Nou.
The Italian journalist also played down suggestions that Liverpool were planning a move amid the recent speculation.
"Nothing has changed on Frenkie de Jong's side. As he said also in the last days and weeks, he wanted to stay at Barcelona and there are still no changes," Romano wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.
"This situation could only change if Frenkie himself decides to go. Liverpool were focused on different kind of players, despite rumours on Frenkie de Jong at the end of August and again more recently."
De Jong recently claimed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta was among those to put pressure on him to leave Camp Nou during the summer transfer window.
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Chelsea and Bayern Munich were also linked with De Jong over the summer, and the pair are thought to retain an interest in the former Ajax youngster amid the speculation surrounding his future.
"I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid. Maybe he (Xavi) has already decided, but normally we don't know until the day of the game," De Jong told Ziggo Sport ahead of El Clasico on Sunday afternoon.
The Dutchman was ultimately named in the first XI against Real Madrid, with the midfielder preferred to Gavi, who started on the bench at Bernabeu.
De Jong played the full 90 minutes of the clash with Los Blancos but could not prevent his team from suffering a 3-1 defeat in the first Clasico of the campaign.
Matt Law
