Barcelona president Joan Laporta has approved the club to go ahead with the contract renewal of Frenkie de Jong, according to AS (via Barca Universal). The Dutch midfielder is now at the forefront of the club’s long-term plans, a far cry from the previous attempts to sell him off.
In 2022, De Jong was on the verge of being ousted from Camp Nou amid their financial crisis. That experience remains fresh in his mind, but the circumstances regarding his future have entirely changed. With Laporta’s help, the club are now financially stable enough to favor De Jong remaining in the squad.
De Jong himself has also revealed his preference to stay in Catalonia. In December, he told his close circle that he would rather remain at Barca, regardless of increasing interest from top European clubs. His performances this season under new manager Hansi Flick have also further established his worth, with De Jong becoming a midfield marshal in Flick’s system.
He has already played 43 games in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists. The Blaugrana have also won two trophies this season – the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, with De Jong playing an important role.
However, salary talks are still an issue. The contract the midfielder signed under Josep Bartomeu’s regime contains clauses that Barcelona believe are unaffordable. The club is waiting for De Jong to accept a reduction in wages, which they hope will coincide with the club’s financial reset.
Despite this, both parties have a common interest in finalizing a deal. With Laporta’s blessing, the Catalan giants will engage heavily in the coming weeks to finalize De Jong’s future and clarify any doubt regarding his position at the club.
Barcelona’s pursuit of Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is dependent on the sale of Ansu Fati (via 90min). This is hardly a surprise, as the club are trying to get around well-publicized financial limitations to facilitate the move.
Rashford, who is currently out on loan at Aston Villa, has made it clear that he would like to move to Catalonia. He has gone so far as to hire agent Pini Zahavi to facilitate the transfer. Barca manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco are both fans of Rashford, but the club’s balance sheet does, however, require that Fati be sold to clear the way.
Fati has been given limited playing time by Flick – just six La Liga appearances this season. He is said to be available to leave over the summer. Barca wants to rid themselves of his huge wages by selling or re-negotiating his contract to ease the financial burden.
Rashford’s wages at Manchester United are over £325,000 per week, something that Barcelona cannot afford. He would have to accept a massive wage reduction in order for the transfer to be possible. The only major sticking point is agreeing with Manchester United, who desire a straight sale and expect around £60 million.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha’s play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian’s love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
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