The summer transfer window is a couple of months away and the planning is already underway at Barcelona, who will be eager to make some changes after an unsuccessful campaign.
First off, there is the managerial situation that needs to be resolved, although it appears increasingly likely that Xavi might be continuing beyond this season.
On top of that, the squad needs some restructuring, with a ‘top’ pivot being a major priority for the Blaugrana, along with a new left-winger.
But the financial situation is such that Barcelona must make one or two top sales in order to achieve the conditions necessary for them to return to the 1:1 rule and go after their intended targets.
Barcelona ready to sacrifice Frenkie de Jong
As such, SPORT’s Joaquim Piera reports that Barcelona are ready to sacrifice key midfield superstar Frenkie de Jong in the summer in order to be able to sign a ‘top’ pivot for next season.
The 26-year-old has a good market, with interest coming from the Premier League, PSG, and more recently even Bayern Munich.
De Jong, for his part, is happy at the club and is not looking to leave Barcelona and may even have the upper hand given that his contract runs until 2026.
As such, convincing the Netherlands international to accept a departure could be difficult for Barça, but they are willing to go down that route, not only for financial reasons but also for sporting ones.
De Jong’s performances have not quite been up to the mark this season, although he has been hampered by injuries. Furthermore, there is an overbooking of midfielders in the squad, which is why they are looking to cut him loose.
What if Frenkie does not leave?
It must be remembered that Barcelona tried hard to offload De Jong in 2022, but the midfielder dug his heels in and stayed put.
If he were to repeat that again this summer, Barcelona will be forced to sign a pivot midfielder of a lower category instead of a top-level player.
And, whoever would come in, would be the starter in the No. 6 position because De Jong is not seen as a good fit in that role.
*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication
