Barcelona fear ‘angry’ superstar could decide to leave for free when contract expires

The past summer transfer window was a difficult one for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to endure. The 25-year-old was constantly in the limelight as the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea tried to take him away from Spotify Camp Nou.

Barça, for their part, were actively trying to sell the Netherlands international due to their financial problems. In fact, in order to get the Dutchman to either agree to a salary reduction or leave, his contract details were leaked to the media, while legal action was also threatened.

Despite all the pressure tactics, which included playing him as a centre-back at times as well as dropping him from the lineup, de Jong remained firm on his stance of staying put at Barcelona and turned down Manchester United while not agreeing to reduce his wages either.

While the 25-year-old might have remained at Barça, Toni Juanmarti is now reporting that de Jong has not forgotten the ordeal he was put through by the club during the summer and is still very angry with the administration for the way he was treated.

Meanwhile, the Catalan giants’ stance on the midfielder has completely flipped from the summer. While they saw him as a cash cow back during the transfer window, the Blaugrana see the midfielder as a critical component of the team now.

Especially in light of Sergio Busquets’ impending exit, Barça believe that de Jong is an immensely valuable player due to his age, versatility as well as his love for the club. So much so that, Xavi has reportedly told Barcelona to not entertain any offers for him.

Furthermore, the La Liga leaders have also decided not to press de Jong for a salary reduction either.

However, as mentioned earlier, the former AFC Ajax midfielder is still angry with how things were handled in the summer. And as a result, there is a fear within the club that he might decide to leave as a free agent when his contract expires.

But, there is still a long time for that to happen, with de Jong’s current deal with the Catalans running until the summer of 2026.

Despite that, there is fear within the Can Barça offices over his long-term future, especially with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich watching his every move.

De Jong has constantly insisted that he loves Barcelona and wants to win trophies at the club. But his frustration over whatever happened in the summer and a potential lack of success in the future could drive him towards an exit.