Barcelona have received offers for Frenkie de Jong, club president Joan Laporta has confirmed, but no deal has been done for the Dutch midfielder amid ongoing talk of Manchester United pushing to get a transfer completed. For now, La Liga giants continue to embrace the Netherlands international’s presence in their plans.
Financial difficulties at Camp Nou mean that sales are essential this summer, but there is no guarantee that De Jong will form part of that process as further discussions are being planned when it comes to his future intentions.
Will Barcelona sell Frenkie de Jong?
Laporta has maintained throughout a long-running saga that Barca have no desire to part with De Jong, and that remains the official line coming out of Catalunya as Premier League heavyweights at Old Trafford struggle to put an agreement in place.
“Frenkie is our player, we really like him,” Laporta has told ESPN when asked for an update on the 25-year-old’s future.
“We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn’t accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants. We need to clarify some aspects of his situation.”
GOAL was able to confirm back on July 14 that United had agreed to pay £71 million ($84m) for De Jong, but no personal terms were in place and that remains the case as a versatile operator forms part of Barca’s pre-season squad in America.
Does De Jong have a role to play for Barcelona?
De Jong has been a regular for Barca since making a move from Ajax in 2019, with 140 appearances taken in across three seasons.
Blaugrana boss Xavi has plenty of alternative midfield options available to him, including exciting talents Pedri and Gavi, and that has led to experimentation with De Jong at centre-half.
That could be a long-term option for player and club heading forward, with Xavi happy to have a proven performer at his disposal.
He has said of playing De Jong in defence: “I am not sending a message to anyone.
“He can adapt to the position of centre-back. I like him a lot as a player.
“We’ve had private conversations that are very important, that I will not reveal here. Later comes the situation of the club financially and Financial Fair Play.
“Playing as a centre-back, he can give us a lot. We want that the centre-back distributes the ball and he does it very well.”