Report: Frankie de Jong unwilling to leave Barcelona

According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, midfielder Frenkie de Jong is unwilling to leave Barcelona at the summer transfer window, with the club also warming up to the idea of keeping hold of the player. Liverpool and Bayern Munich are interested in signing the Dutchman. The 24-year-old joined the Catalan club in 2019 and quickly became a pivotal player in the team. Although Barca struggled in the initial phase of the season because of financial problems and departure of players, the La Liga side is now slowly finding its stride after the appointment of new boss Xavi and the arrival of new signings in the January transfer window. 

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What a match, what a support ??? #Forçabarça pic.twitter.com/KlYQeIRoph

— Frenkie de Jong (@DeJongFrenkie21) February 6, 2022

De Jong was one of the high profile signings Barcelona made during the former manager Ronald Koeman’s tenure. However, after the departure of Koeman, De Jong struggled a little bit initially to cope with Xavi’s style of play, but the highly talented playmaker is slowly getting into the mix and finding his stability. 

He has made 120 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 11 times and registering 14 assists. Liverpool were very much interested in the midfielder. The reds were in need of some creativity in the midfield as Thiago Alcantara’s arrival didn’t pan out as expected because of injuries. However, the Premier League side chose not to bring in  a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum following his departure as a free last summer. 

Since Alacantara, Jordan Henderson and James Milner are on the wrong side of 30, Liverpool needs fresh legs in the midfield. Therefore De Jong emerged as a viable target for the Reds. Apart from Liverpool, Bayern Munich were keen on signing the 24-year-old in the January transfer window but the move failed to materialise. 

De Jong is starting to enjoy his game under Xavi, who is one the best midfielders the world has ever seen. He is surely going to learn a lot and grow under the guidance of the Spanish tactician. As of now, Barcelona certainly looks a very good place for De Jong and the club will not cash in on him unless they receive an attractive bid.