Why Frenkie De Jong Doesn’t Want To Leave FC Barcelona

In case you hadn’t heard by now, FC Barcelona’s star midfielder Frenkie de Jong is said to be on the verge of leaving the club this summer.

According to trusted Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, a transfer agreement between Barca and Premier
PINC
PINC
League giants Manchester United is “95% complete” and could be signed before the end of the season.

“It is a purely economic issue,” Romero stated, in reference to the Catalans’ debts around the $1.5 billion mark. “Barca needs to sell a player who has not been top at the club,” it was said of De Jong’s performances since joining from Ajax in 2019.

Romero revealed that the operation “would be [completed] for between €70 ($73.6mn) and €80mn ($84.1mn)”, though other reports which emerged on Wednesday say that the Blaugrana will not accept less than €100mn ($104mn) for the just turned 25-year-old they paid €75mn ($78mn) for.

“We are on May 11 and the situation can still change,” Romero admitted. “[But] at the club they are clear that if he continues for one more season and the player does not explode [into good form], he will lose value and Barca will lose money.”

That being said, De Jong is also apparently reluctant to leave Catalonia and has a number of reasons for not doing so according to SPORT on Friday.

A reunification with United’s incoming manager Erik ten Hag no doubt appeals to De Jong, after his compatriot Dutchman exacted top displays from the youngster in 2019 as Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals and his performances earned him not just the award for that season’s leading midfielder in the competition but also his dream move to Barca.

Yet while currently in sixth place in the English top flight table, the Red Devils cannot offer De Jong football in Europe’s elite club competition, whereas Barca can. And this has also led to rumors that if De Jong were to flee to Manchester, he would prefer to land in its blue half at Manchester City instead.

Another motive is his current coach Xavi Hernandez’s trust in him. In public, Xavi has constantly supported De Jong by calling him a difference maker and saying that there aren’t “many players with his quality in the world”.

SPORT say that De Jong feels confident that he can “lead this new generation of players of a very high level” at Camp Nou and will also relish the chance to work with Xavi from the preseason as opposed to midway through a campaign as seen when he replaced Ronald Koeman in late Autumn last year.

Lastly is a factor that pertains to De Jong’s personal life. He and long-term partner Mikky Kiemeney have just purchased a €5mn ($5.2mn) mansion in the city’s upscale Pedralbes area, which is a solid indicator that the playmaker plans on seeing out his contract which runs until 2026.