Frenkie de Jong reveals transfer stance
Frenkie de Jong reveals transfer stance. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has revealed that he would be willing to leave the “club of his dreams” under certain circumstances.
The divisive Dutchman has been greeted with boos and whistles during his recent outings by an increasingly aggravated Catalan fanbase. After arriving from Ajax for €75m (£62m) as one of the world’s best midfielders, De Jong struggled to replicate his unique style of play for a new team in a new country.
The 27-year-old has played under six different coaches in the space of five-and-a-half seasons, with the demands placed on him changing after each appointment. Hansi Flick, the current Barcelona incumbent, has only been able to call upon De Jong intermittently for fear of aggravating a serious ankle injury which left the player contemplating early retirement.
As the January transfer window opens, there has been mounting speculation surrounding De Jong’s future. While his agent and Flick have had their say on the matter, the player himself offered his own views.
Frenkie de Jong (right) has spent much of the season on the sidelines / Alex Caparros/GettyImages
“People think that I want to stay at Barcelona forever because life outside of football is very good here, and it is good, but it is still less important than what happens on the pitch,” De Jong told Dutch publication Voetbal International.
“If I felt that I could not contribute enough, or if the team could not compete, I would leave.”
De Jong has come under scrutiny largely because his bumper contract do not reflect the impact he has been able to make in recent years. Academy midfielder Marc Bernal, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August, has played more La Liga minutes than his Dutch teammate this season.
Barcelona are reportedly locked in a contractual standoff with De Jong, who has so far refused to sign a new deal with lower wages. The club are so keen to get the midfielder’s salary – which is thought to be in the region of £300,000-per-week – off their books, that they would accept a cut-price transfer fee.
De Jong, who has a deal with Barcelona until 2026, is entirely unfazed. “My contract renewal is a topic for the newspapers here, but it is not for me,” he shrugged.
“I want to play football and then I will see what the club wants to do with me and then I will decide what I want to do, together with my agent and my family.”
One topic which did upset De Jong is the size of his trophy cabinet. The Dutch champion with Ajax joined a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona side which had won four of the past five La Liga titles, a quartet of domestic cups and the 2015 Champions League.
As the financial crash fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Barcelona more than any other club, major honours have not been so forthcoming in recent years.
“I have to admit that when I signed for Barcelona I didn’t imagine that I would win just one La Liga, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup after four years,” De Jong sniffed.
“I expected at least double that, so I’m disappointed. Things happen away from home and you can’t predict them.”
