Barcelona could try to sell €75m ace in January, says source close to player

In the past few weeks, there have been a lot of reports coming out on the situation of Frenkie de Jong at FC Barcelona.

The Blaugrana made serious efforts to force the 25-year-old midfielder out of the club in the summer and had even reached an agreement with Manchester United over a possible sale. But the Dutchman held firm on not wanting to leave Camp Nou.

De Jong’s contract details were leaked to the media with reports suggesting that it was a tactic to get him to accept an exit or lower his salary, but neither materialised.

Having remained at the club, de Jong has slowly established himself as a key member of the first-team setup under Xavi again. So much so that Barça reportedly see him as an ‘untouchable’ and are ready to take proper care of him after the summer controversy.

But, according to The Athletic, a source very close to the player has informed that he expects Barcelona to make another effort to sell de Jong in the upcoming January transfer window. However, the 25-year-old remains happy at the club and is not considering an exit.

Barça signed de Jong from Ajax in a deal worth €75 million in 2019, beating competition from the likes of PSG and Manchester City. He has been a regular fixture in the side ever since, although he did lose his place in the lineup earlier this season.

But de Jong has forced his way back into the team and is even being seen as a pivotal player especially with Sergio Busquets’ future being uncertain.

However, at the same time, they continue to be plagued with Financial Fair Play issues, which need them to cut their wage bill which is currently standing in excess of €650 million.

So, the source close to the player believes that Barcelona could make another push to sell de Jong, but the midfielder’s stance on his future remains unaltered, despite his anger towards the club administration over how he was treated in the summer.

Manchester United remain interested in securing de Jong’s services, but as things stand, they are once again likely to be met with a rejection from the player if they do make an approach for him in January.