€70 million-rated Barcelona midfielder could leave the club in the summer – report

Frenkie de Jong’s performances for Barcelona continue to raise more questions than provide answers.

The 24-year-old was signed for a whopping €86 million in 2019 with the view of him taking over as the midfield general of the team in the years to come. Midway into his third season at Camp Nou, the Dutchman has just not shown enough to convince that he can be that man.

After an underwhelming display in the Spanish Supercup semi-final defeat to Real Madrid last week, de Jong was again disappointing on Thursday against Athletic Club.

Coming on as a sub in the 60th minute, the ex-Ajax star hardly produced any moment of quality during his hour-long stay on the pitch. His most notable contribution on the night was the foul he committed leading to Athletic’s second goal of the game.

Speculations over a possible exit in the summer later this year were in full flow after the defeat to Real Madrid. And, they are only set to pick up steam after the Copa del Rey debacle. Indeed, Diario AS journalist Javi Miguel, writing on Culemania, has claimed that de Jong is ‘a foot and a half’ out of the club.

There have been reports of Chelsea making an offer for the Netherlands international recently, while the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all continue to be linked with the midfielder.

At the same time, though, it has been claimed in certain media outlets that manager Xavi Hernandez has total faith in de Jong and continues to see him as an integral part of his plans at Camp Nou.

While that might be the case, the Dutchman’s performances are not inspiring enough confidence as things stand. And should things fail to improve in the coming months, it might not come as a big surprise if Joan Laporta & co. decide to accept a good enough offer for the midfielder, considering the club’s financial situation.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.