Barcelona considering cashing in on Frenkie de Jong in 2022: Reports
Barcelona are considering selling Frenkie de Jong in 2022. The Catalan club feel there is a huge market for the Dutch midfielder and they can cash in on him.
It would come as a surprise move as De Jong has been one of the better players at Barcelona in recent times. Moreover, the Catalan giants spent a fortune and fought off several other clubs like Juventus and Manchester City to land the Dutchman from Ajax for €75 million in the summer of 2019.
However, it would now appear that Barcelona are ready to sell him to balance the books and bring in a different profile of players at the Camp Nou.
🚨 ¡EXCLUSIVA de @10JoseAlvarez! 🚨
➡ "FRENKIE DE JONG está en VENTA"
➡ "El BARÇA piensa que podría SACAR DINERO por él"
#ChiringuitoBarcelona https://t.co/liHdBDM03B
Why does Barcelona want to sell Frenkie de Jong?
Official and confirmed. Barcelona announce Xavi Hernández as new manager. He’ll be in Catalunya in the next hours. 🔵🔴🤝 #FCB
Xavi will be presented as new Barça head coach on Monday. https://t.co/3fL7cWbdlr
Historically speaking in football, it is never a good sign if a club want to sell one of their best players. More often than not, the reason is financial, while in other cases it is a matter of a bigger club approaching.
For Barcelona, not many clubs are bigger than them in terms of stature and football heritage. The player in question here - Frenkie de Jong - has not made any demands to move to a more successful club.
So, the very obvious reason is that Barcelona want to use the money generated from De Jong's transfer. It leads us to the next question - will the money be used to buy a new player or will it help in reworking the finances of the club?
With Xavi being appointed as the new manager, expect Barcelona to bring him some players of his choice. However, since the club do not have much money to spend, selling De Jong might be their way of raising funds for Xavi's transfer kitty.
Who can buy Frenkie de Jong?
The Dutch midfielder is unlikely to have a shortage of suitors. He is a technically sound player who can play multiple roles in midfield. Manchester City could be a very real prospect for him with the type of football they play under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
Juventus could be another possible destination, with his former captain and national team-mate Matthijs de Ligt already plying his trade for the Bianconeri.
Regardless of where he goes, Barcelona will be taking a big gamble by selling one of their most promising players.