Barcelona is pushing Frenkie de Jong to either renew his contract or present an offer to leave.
Frenkie de Jong finds himself at a crossroads in his professional career. The Dutch midfielder is just two years away from the end of his contract with FC Barcelona, who made a renewal offer three months ago, according to Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo. Frenkie has yet to respond, but the Catalan club is eager for a decision sooner rather than later. The reason is his current contract expires in 2026, and the sports management of Barcelona considers it ideal to have clarity about a player’s future two years before their contract ends to act accordingly. If he wants to renew, great, as it provides reassurance to the club.
If not, whether it’s due to dissatisfaction with the project, better financial offers elsewhere, or other footballing ideas, they want him to speak up. However, if he chooses not to renew, they expect him to bring forth an offer fitting for a young yet experienced player of his caliber, who is still tied to his club, as is his case at the moment.
Barça aims to continue with Frenkie but wishes to secure his commitment now. They understand that if they don’t, by the time 2025 arrives without an extension of his contract, the club’s position will be significantly weakened. Firstly, because he’ll start receiving tempting offers with lucrative bonuses if he reaches the end of his contract with Barcelona and joins another club as a free agent.
Secondly, even if he desires to leave next year and a club is willing to pay, with only one year left on his contract, Barcelona won’t be able to command a high transfer fee due to the clear fact that he’ll be available for free in a year. The club would need to settle for meagre offers before seeing him leave for free, despite having paid a whopping €85 million to Ajax for him in 2019.
Barcelona is clear that if Frenkie doesn’t wish to renew now, they will demand exceptionally high offers for him to leave, purely due to market dynamics in a club needing financial influx if a top-level player opts not to renew. In any case, Barcelona wants De Jong to make a decision and also to become decisive with the team. They hope that in the upcoming crucial matches, particularly in the Champions League, he takes the reins of the team and leads them. He certainly has the class to do so.
FC Barcelona is awaiting Frenkie de Jong’s decision regarding his future after receiving a renewal offer for his contract expiring in 2026 three months ago. Should he prefer not to extend his ties with the club, Barcelona won’t hold him against his will if he requests to leave. However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona has set the bar for De Jong’s potential transfer at around €100 million.
A substantial amount, but one they consider reasonable compared to fees paid by other clubs for midfielders of lesser stature than the Dutchman. Chelsea, for instance, paid €115 million for Moisés Caicedo and €121 million for Enzo Fernández. Erik ten Hag, the coach with whom Frenkie succeeded at Ajax in the 2018-19 season, persistently tried to persuade him, but Frenkie’s response remained consistent, reaffirming his desire to succeed at Barcelona. So far, in four and a half seasons, he has only managed to secure one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, and one Spanish Super Cup after joining from Ajax in the summer of 2019 for €75 million plus €11 million in variables.
Barcelona believes that should De Jong choose not to renew, he will have a market, especially in the Premier League. Chelsea and Manchester United are mentioned as clubs willing to pay a significant sum to acquire him, with the possibility of Manchester City entering the fray, given their past interest in him in 2019 when even Pep Guardiola personally contacted him to tempt him. It’s worth noting that journalist Lluís Canut, a source close to the player’s entourage, stated that Frenkie was already considering leaving Barcelona this summer, particularly after the club staunchly rebuffed Manchester United’s strong interest in him during the 2022 transfer window.
