Frenkie de Jong’s season at Barcelona has been a bit of a roller-coaster since this past summer window. At one point, the Dutchman looked like he was being forced out of the club who were dealing with financial problems and saw him as a sacrificial lamb due to his high wages and market value.
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At one point, there was even an agreement with Manchester United for a transfer. But, de Jong dug his heels in and insisted he would not leave, even though he was deprived of game-time in the early parts of the season.
Having stayed put at Barcelona, de Jong forced his way back into the starting XI and became one of the team’s top performers prior to the World Cup break. Indeed, the 25-year-old excelled in Xavi’s setup in recent weeks, be it as an interior midfielder or a pivot.
So much so that, the manager now sees him as an integral part of his plans at Spotify Camp Nou moving forward.
However, at the same time, Barcelona continue to be plagued with financial issues and with no levers to activate this time around, player sales could become important for the club to salvage the situation.
And, Chelsea and Manchester United, who had been keen on signing de Jong in the last summer, continue to hold a strong interest in the Netherlands international now as well, reports SPORT.
It is claimed that both the Premier League giants have conveyed to the player’s entourage that they remain keen on securing his services despite his insistence on continuing at Spotify Camp Nou.
Chelsea are set for a revamp of their midfield department next summer with the likes of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante out of contract. And the report states that they want to sign de Jong.
As for Manchester United, Erik ten Hag could again be the driving force behind the Red Devils’ push to sign the Netherlands international.
Irrespective of that, though, Barcelona are not considering selling de Jong at this point and will only study such a possibility if an ‘astronomical’ and ‘irresistible’ offer arrives for the Dutch midfielder
De Jong, for his part, continues to desire a stay at the Catalan outfit even though his relationship with the club administration might be broken following his recent statements about his situation last summer.
In fact, recent reports indicate that there have been talks held over a possible salary reduction with the 25-year-old, which would help Barcelona reduce their wage bill amidst Fair Play problems