Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has said that he must remain hungry in order to show improvement during the course of his career. The Netherlands international has already agreed to join Barcelona from Ajax on a five-year contract and he is expected to link up with his teammates during this summer’s pre-season tour.

Speaking to reporters, De Jong indicated that he has plenty of room for improvement, considering he is still far off from becoming one of the best midfielders. He added that he is unperturbed by the £65m price tag paid to lure him to the Camp Nou and he has the knowledge of where he needs to improve in his game.

He said: “I think that as a football player you will always have points for improvement. I certainly do. I am still a young player. I am still not at the top of the world. To get there I have to stay hungry to keep improving myself. In general I have no problems with it [his price tag]. Everyone is free to say something about me. I think I have a reasonable idea of what I can improve.”

The Dutchman was initially touted to join one of Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain and the latter looked favourites during the early stages of the January transfer window. However, a personal phone call from Lionel Messi convinced him to head to the Camp Nou, where the hierarchy assured him of regular gametime during his debut campaign with the club.

Meanwhile, the arrival of De Jong could potentially hamper the gametime of some of the existing players at the club. According to reports, the move may affect Ivan Rakitic the most when compared to others and the Croatian could head through the exit door amid interest from the Serie A.