Barcelona willing to sell star player amid interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich - Reports
Barcelona are open to selling Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who is attracting interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich, in the summer. The Spanish side are looking to raise money to fund new signings and could do so by letting go of some of its top stars.
For the past few years, financial troubles have been the norm at Barcelona, with the club even being forced to part ways with talisman Lionel Messi. The situation remains the same at the club, as they have failed to constantly raise money to fall in line with the league's sustainability regulations.
The Spanish giants have publicly objected to selling some of their biggest stars, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ronald Araujo and Pedri linked with moves away. Reports from AS, however, indicate that the club is, in fact, considering a move away for Frenkie De Jong.
The Netherlands international midfielder has emerged as one of the finest midfielders in Europe in recent years, and his quality has not gone unnoticed. The 26-year-old has been on the radar of Manchester United, who reportedly came very close to signing him for around £85 million in 2022 before the deal fell through.
Bayern Munich are another side looking to sign the midfielder, with the club said to be looking to add a midfielder comfortable operating from the base of the midfield. The German side were keen on signing him after his emergence from Ajax, but he chose to join Barcelona, instead.
According to Barca Universal, Barcelona officials are not completely sold on whether De Jong should be considered a superstar and paid as such, at the club. The club reportedly has reservations on the midfielder's leadership qualities despite his technical capability, and would not mind selling him.
The potential sale of De Jong will help the club raise money, and coupled with getting his wages off their books, will be significant in their bid for financial stability.
Barcelona duo miss training ahead of Las Palmas game
Defensive pair of Ronaldo Araujo and Andreas Christensen have not trained with the rest of the Barcelona squad as they prepare for the final stretch of the season (via Barca Blaugranes).
The Spanish giants have resumed training after the international break and will face Las Palmas in their first game back on Saturday (March 30).
Christensen was called up to the Denmark national team for the international break but pulled out due to trouble with his Achilles tendon. Uruguay international Araujo was also sent home early from national duty with a muscle overload and has yet to resume training.
Barcelona have a number of players who can cover for this duo in their respective positions and will be keen to avoid any serious damage to either player. They may be left out of the match against Las Palmas in a bid to give them enough time to recover.