5 Possible destinations for Frenkie De Jong
After Frenkie De Jong's breakout season in 2017/18, it seems like every week we receive rumours linking Frenkie to different clubs. Both Manchester clubs, PSG, Juventus, Chelsea, Barcelona, and Real Madrid are just a few of the giants after the Dutchman's signature, according to Eurosport.
His versatility, technical ability, and vision are a few things which make him so coveted. In this article, we look through how he could fit into all these teams.
FC Barcelona
De Jong has been a long-term target for the Catalan giants. Barcelona sees him as a future Iniesta replacement, and actually tried to sign him before Iniesta left the Camp Nou, but Ajax rejected the offer.
If De Jong moved to Catalonia, he would most likely be a super-sub unless Sergio Busquets or Ivan Rakitic left the club, and the latter has been linked away in recent months. Barcelona is the club most likely to bring in the youngster unless PSG and Barcelona agree on a deal for Adrien Rabiot.
How Barca will line up with De Jong:
Rumour Rating: 8/10
Frenkie has been linked with the Blaugrana for a long time now, and the departure of Andres Iniesta has increased the rumours. However, interest from other clubs might make it more difficult for the Catalan giants to capture the Dutch wonderkid.
Manchester City
Manchester City has been looking for a replacement for their ageing Fernandinho over the last few years. Several big names have been linked, such as Julian Weigl, Ruben Neves, and Tanguy Ndombele, and have all been touted as possible future defensive midfielders.
However, young Frenkie De Jong has been named the top target for the Citizens and the player Pep Guardiola wants the most at the Etihad. If possibly the most successful manager of all time has you as their top target, then you know that you have been doing something right.
If Frenkie joins Manchester City and succeeds, then there is next to no doubt that the Sky-Blues will be the next big European powerhouse and finally win the UEFA Champions League for the first time, what their Saudi owners have been wanting since they bought the club back in 2007. If this happens, then the sky really will be the limit for both Frenkie and Manchester City.
Imagine, if you will, just how powerful a midfield three of Frenkie De Jong, David Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne would be.
Rumour Rating: 7/10
Playing under Pep Guardiola is a dream for any player, and Frenkie De Jong is no different. Pep could help De Jong fulfil his potential, and make the Dutchman one of the best midfielders in world football. Vice versa, De Jong can help bring the blue half of Manchester consistent success, and maybe even help them win the Champions League for the first time since 1970, when it was still the European Cup Winners Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain
Like Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari owners are desperate for the club to receive European honours and are willing to pay any price to achieve this success. This has been mirrored in their big-money signings of both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and the way that they have drawn in other big-name players for audacious sums of money.
While PSG and City are both still under investigation due to the clubs because of the 2 clubs being suspected of breaking FFP laws, this does not mean that they will not be willing to splash the cash in order to bring in Frenkie De Jong. If the club do bring in the Dutchman, then Le Parisiens could have their replacement for Adrien Rabiot if the Frenchman chooses to leave the French Capital.
Rumour Rating: 5/10
Manchester City and Barcelona both have been linked, and moves to either of those 2 clubs would help Frenkie De Jong further his career, while a move to Ligue 1, and therefore a decrease in terms of the difficulty in competition could slow down the young Dutchman's career. Because of this, PSG would have to be outside favourites for the Ajax man's signature, although the money they could offer De Jong could mean that he joins Paris.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F is currently in a rut. They are currently in 6th place in the Spanish La Liga, (at time of writing) behind clubs like Alaves and Espanyol, teams which are of a far lower quality than Los Blancos. They just lost to Eibar 3-0, which is absolutely unacceptable.
Their current form can be attributed to how poorly their midfield has been playing. Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro are all playing badly and making errors which have led to dropped points. This is not the standard that one expects of a midfield that is playing for Europe's most successful team, Real Madrid. Frenkie De Jong would solve all these problems.
Kroos and Modric are both aging, and Frenkie De Jong is just starting his career and is not a very "accident-prone" midfielder. Meanwhile, Casemiro has a very poor first touch, which has led to Real conceding often on counter-attacks by the opposition.
Frenkie De Jong would not be likely to make mistakes, and also has the reaction time and stamina to make up for the mistake and recover quick enough to retrieve the football again. This is why Frenkie would be a perfect midfield replacement for Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, or Casemiro.
Rumour rating: 6/10
Real Madrid has only recently been linked with De Jong, and the fact that FC Barcelona is also involved will complicate matters. However, the player seems to be pushing for a move to the Spanish capital.
The Dutchman recently liked several posts by Real Madrid's official Twitter account. If this is anything to go by, it looks as if the Dutch wonder kid wants to be in Real's good books when the January window comes around.
Juventus
Juventus made massive waves throughout the football world when they completed the blockbuster signing of one Cristiano Ronaldo. However, they failed to truly address their midfield except the signing of Emre Can.
Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira are both getting too old to be of the quality that the Bianconeri fans would expect of their midfield. Frenkie De Jong, Miralem Pjanic, and one of Matuidi, Emre Can, or Khedira could form a midfield pivot for the ages, possibly helping the Italian giants to finally lift the coveted UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1996, the inaugural edition.
Signing Ronaldo was one step in the right direction, but signing the talented Ajax star will help catapult the Turin-based club to European stardom, and help them win the treble for the first time.
Rumour Rating: 4/10
While Juventus are in need of a midfielder for the future, they recently spent a lot of money on CR7 and it is difficult to see them paying 70 million or more on a midfielder that might not even be able to adapt the physicality of the Italian top-flight.
However, if Frenkie chose Juventus, he could hone his skills and become a more polished player, so that if Barcelona or Real Madrid came calling later, he will have increased his ability and will come to his new club as one of the best in the world in his position.
Manchester United
Manchester United are currently a club in need of serious help. They are the only team in the top ten of the EPL who have a negative goal difference. They also are currently lacking in their defence and up top, with the Red Devils being the "Big 6" team which has conceded the most goals(21) and scored the least(20).
In fact, the Manchester-based club has scored fewer goals than Bournemouth. Frenkie De Jong could help Manchester United salvage their season, though. He could be a defensive rock, as he can play at CB, and he can also score some long-range rockets.
Finally, Frenkie De Jong could be Nemanja Matic's long-term replacement and be part of a midfield with Pogba, Fred, and De Jong. That De Jong could also be the perfect foil for Paul Pogba is just another bonus.
Rumour Rating: 3/10
At the current time, no young player seems to want to come near the man that is Jose Mourinho. However, the fact that Manchester United do have a great history of Dutch legends, from Edwin Van Der Sar to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, could tip the scales in the Red Devil's favour. Unfortunately for Reds fans, it does not seem like De Jong will move to the red half of Manchester, but a miracle could happen, and we could be seeing De Jong playing in Old Trafford soon.
Conclusion:
Frenkie De Jong is an amazing footballer, and it is no wonder that so many of Europe's footballing giants want to snatch him up. While it does look likely that he will leave, the 70 million euro price tag that Ajax have given him may ward off potential suitors.
However, the longer that clubs wait, the bigger the price tag will grow, so if clubs want him, they have to act quickly. In the author's opinion, Barcelona look like the club most likely to sign the youngster, but in football, anything can happen!