Bayern Munich set eyes on €100 million-rated Barcelona midfielder for the summer

Ever since Ronald Koeman was sacked, there have been a lot of question marks surrounding the futures of some of the players that the Dutchman favoured.

Reports have indicated that Barcelona are already planning to cut ties with Luuk de Jong in the January transfer window, while Sergino Dest could also be shown the doors in the summer.

Another name that has been surprisingly linked with an exit from Camp Nou is that of Frenkie de Jong. Signed from AFC Ajax in 2019 for a massive sum of €86million, the Dutchman has been unable to hit peak form so far. There have been glimpses of his class and quality on numerous occasions, but they have not come as consistently as the club would have liked.

Furthermore, de Jong’s big-game pedigree has been questioned after some lackadaisical displays in crucial encounters, including this season’s El Clasico defeat. El Nacional claims that members of the Barca hierarchy are starting to grow frustrated with the 24-year-old and would welcome the idea of offloading him.

The report adds that the player himself is not entirely happy at Barca. Having snubbed bigger and better offers to join Camp Nou in 2019, the 24-year-old had hoped to lift plenty of titles and trophies but has won just the Copa del Rey so far.

Bayern Munich set to step up efforts to sign de Jong

In addition, the sacking of Koeman means de Jong has lost his biggest supporter in the dressing room while the emergence of the Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez also casts doubts on his regular involvement. This has led to him considering his future prospects at Camp Nou, with the aforementioned report claiming that Bayern Munich are ready to offer him a way out.

The German champions had been keen on him in 2019 but were beaten to the punch by Barca. Now, however, they stand a great chance of getting their hands on the ex-Ajax star, with manager Julian Nagelsmann keen. It is claimed that initial talks between Bayern and de Jong have already taken place.

Further negotiations will happen on December 8, when Barcelona visit the Allianz Arena for their Champions League clash against Die Roten. The Germans plan to speak to the midfielder as well as Joan Laporta over the possibility of a deal on that day, making it a pivotal date as one way or another, his future could be decided.

Barcelona, for their part, are open to selling de Jong, as he is one of the few players in the squad who can attract massive transfer fees while getting rid of his wages would also free up valuable space on the payroll.

It is also stated that Barca’s newly-appointed manager, Xavi Hernandez, has informed the board that he does not see the Netherlands star as an essential part of the squad, asking them to study offers that come in for him. If true, and that is a big ‘if’ at this point, de Jong may not have a long-term future at Camp Nou.