Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that the club has further talks planned with midfielder Frenkie de Jong as they look to resolve the Dutchman’s future.
With Manchester United’s approach for de Jong hitting a roadblock, the Catalans have planned further talks with the player to understand his desires – and find a resolution that suits all those concerned. The club’s president confirmed the same in a recent interview, claiming that de Jong belongs to the Blaugrana and that they are yet to accept any proposals put forward to them.
“He’s our player, he’s a high-quality player. We like him very much,”
“We have to clarify some aspects of his position but right now he’s playing for Barcelona. He has some offers but at the moment we didn’t accept the offers because we want to talk to him to know exactly what he wants,”
he told ESPN.
Despite Laporta’s claims, The Athletic claims that the Red Devils already have a deal in place for de Jong. The club submitted a 75 million euro fee – and an additional 10 million in add-ons – which was accepted by the Spanish giants. However, while the Blaugrana are pushing the Dutchman to leave the club this summer, he is yet to accept Manchester United’s offer.
De Jong’s future at Barcelona remains up in the air. But, should the youngster choose to continue his career in Spain, he could be deployed in an unfamiliar position. As per his manager Xavi Hernandez, the Dutchman can play as a centerback, too.
“For me, he is a fundamental footballer but there is also the economic situation and fair play. He can bring us a lot as a centre-back. I like him in that position,”
he said, per the Daily Mail.
De Jong joined Barcelona in the summer of 2019, six months after the club announced they had agreed to pay Ajax 75 million euros for his transfer. In the three years since he has made 140 appearances for the club and scored 13 goals.
