Barcelona ready to sell superstar for as little as €20 million next summer: Reports
Barcelona are prepared to sell superstar Frenkie de Jong for as little as €20 million next summer. Despite being one of the most important players in the squad since he joined in 2019, the Dutch midfielder's future at the club has become uncertain.
De Jong suffered an ankle injury in March, which caused him to miss out on the rest of Barca's season. He also missed out on playing for the Netherlands in Euro 2024. While it seemed he might return from the injury during the summer break, the 27-year-old endured setbacks.
He returned to the pitch in October but has yet to rediscover his form and find full fitness. Despite playing 10 games for Barcelona this season, he has started only two matches, with manager Hansi Flick entrusting his midfield position to other players.
His diminished role has not been aided by the fact that he is one of the highest-paid players at the club. If he were to run down his contract, which will end in 2026, it would cost the Blaugrana approximately €35 million per year. A report from Spanish outlet SPORT (via Barca Universal) has revealed their plan to mitigate this.
The Catalan giants are ready to sell Frenkie de Jong for as low as €20 million, despite signing him from Ajax in 2019 for €75 million. They are prepared to bear the loss by placing him on the transfer market.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick defends squad as winless run continues
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has defended his squad, as the club continue their winless run, following their 2-1 loss at the hands of Las Palmas on Saturday (November 30). Both sides faced off in their La Liga clash at the Olympic Stadium, with the visitors leaving with all three points.
This came after their 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo and their 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad. Speaking after the Las Palmas loss, Hansi Flick said in a press conference (via ESPN):
"I believe in the players. We have a good team. The matches like today, it happens, OK. When I started here, I said to the players 'no excuses.' We have to keep going as a team."
He added:
"When you play as a team, or better than as a team, and everyone defends well, including in the offence, and is well connected, we can play and win against every team. But if it's not, if some players are disconnected, then it's not good and we have to speak about that."
Real Madrid, who are in second place in the league, have a game in hand and are sitting one point behind Barcelona. One win for Los Blancos could see them overtake the Blaugrana in the La Liga standings.