Barcelona will try tooffload Frenkie de Jong and his significant salary in the summer after a breakdown in contract negotiations, according to a report in Spain.
The Dutch midfielder has been plagued by injuries in recent years. During more than five months on the sidelines with a serious ankle issue, De Jong feared that his professional career may be over. The 27-year-old has been used sparingly by Hansi Flick this term, and could be entering his final few months in Catalonia if Barcelona follow through on their supposed plans.
De Jong has a contract which extends to 2026, but talks over a possible extension - which would involve considerable wage restructuring - have stalled. The Catalan giants are now focused on selling the costly midfielder during the summer window, per SPORT.
Barcelona are even said to be prepared to overlook a transfer fee. When taking into consideration the instalments of De Jong's transfer fee, his salary and the wages which he deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic, the deep-lying playmaker costs the club €35m (£29m) every year.
Frenkie De Jong
Frenkie de Jong has not provided an assist for Barcelona since May 2023 / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages
La Liga's current leaders reportedly handed De Jong an ultimatum in October, demanding he sign a new deal before the January transfer window if he wanted to stay at the club.
Manchester United were long-time suitors while Erik ten Hag - De Jong's former Ajax manager - was at Old Trafford. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the upright midfielder, while Liverpool are the latest to see their name mentioned in the same breath.
Barcelona's sporting director Deco quashed talk of a potential exit for De Jong back in September, insisting: "He has a contract with Barca and we are very happy with him." However, the latest report from SPORT claims that the remarkable emergence of academy graduate Marc Casado this term has reduced the club's reliance upon De Jong.
Marc Bernal also impressed in the holding role before his season-ending knee injury. Gavi, meanwhile, has returned from the treatment room to give Flick plenty of options in an area of the pitch which Pedri, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez also occupy.
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