Report: Besiktas and PSV eye Sevilla striker on loan at Barcelona

Barcelona’s late move for Luuk de Jong during the summer transfer window earlier this year came as a big surprise and raised many eyebrows.

A transfer that was driven by ex-manager Ronald Koeman’s wishes, the Dutch striker was brought in as a late replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who joined Atletico Madrid. The 31-year-old Luuk de Jong signed on a season-long loan deal from Sevilla, with the club retaining an option to make his signing permanent.

Nearly five months into his stint at Barcelona, however, he has proven to be a disastrous addition. Used fairly regularly in the initial stages by Koeman, the former Newcastle United striker failed to deliver anything of note. And, he has been completely overlooked by new manager Xavi Hernandez, who has hardly called upon the towering Dutchman.

To date, De Jong has made just 10 appearances in all competitions for Barca, scoring just one goal in the process. It is evident that things have not worked out between the club and the player, with a parting of ways very much on the table in January.

However, Estadio Deportivo reports that Sevilla do not wish to bring him back mid-season, leaving the Catalan giants with a headache to get him off the books. And, they may have been presented with a golden opportunity as De Jong’s former club PSV Eindhoven are interested in signing him up.

The 31-year-old enjoyed a prolific stint with the Dutch giants prior to his arrival at Sevilla and would be tempted to return to his old stomping grounds. Another club interested in the target man are Turkish bigwigs, Besiktas. They had their eyes on the on-loan Barcelona man in the summer, but could not get the deal over the line due to Sevilla’s financial demands.

However, they are now prepared to sign him on loan and pay his wages for the rest of the season, which would come as a huge relief for Barca. Along with Besiktas, their Turkish rivals Fenerbahce have also emerged as an interested party in the race for De Jong, who are also willing to take over his full salary payments for the rest of the season.

Sevilla, for their part, will not stand in the way of an exit from Barcelona, as they are aware that the striker’s value has nosedived since the summer. So, a loan switch to a different club in January, where he can rekindle his form, would be a welcome move, as they will look to offload him permanently in the summer when the forward enters the final year of his contract.