Netherlands boss Koeman reveals Barcelona contacted him about replacing Valverde

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman has revealed that Barcelona got in touch with him about replacing Ernesto Valverde as head coach.

Koeman, a former Barcelona player, was one of a few coaches to turn them down and that led to the Catalan club appointing Quique Setien.

"Yes, they called me weeks ago," Koeman admitted at the UEFA Nations League group stage draw.

"I said no to Barcelona because I am with the [Dutch] national team.

"It was not the moment to go."

Frenkie de Jong made a much-publicised move to Barcelona in the summer, but the Ajax midfielder has thus far only shown glimpses of his potential at the Camp Nou.

"The positive thing is that he plays a lot of games, but he's playing in a different position to what he's used to," Koeman stated.

"Neither at Ajax nor in the national team does he play in that position, but it's the decision of the coach."

Nevertheless, Koeman is confident that De Jong will continue to develop as a player.

"He's a very young player and you learn things from playing games," he said.

"He plays differently with me in the national team."