Barcelona are ready to part ways with Frenkie de Jong next summer as the Catalan club look to bring Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz to La Liga for the 2025/26 campaign.
It seems that the Spanish giants have been looking to get rid of De Jong for some time now and is likely to come down to finances. The Dutch star is an asset Barca can bring in a big transfer fee for and it would get his astronomical wages off their books, which is not helping their current financial situation.
The midfielder earns a massive €721k per week with Barcelona, which was handed to him by the former board when signing from Ajax back in 2019.
De Jong is not living up to that salary and therefore, the Catalan club are open to selling him next summer as his contract expires in 2026.
According to SPORT, Barcelona have an interest in PSG’s Fabian Ruiz and will try to bring the Spain international to the club in 2025. The report states that De Jong could be included in a deal to bring down the transfer fee as the Catalan club looks to add another Euro 2024 winner to their squad.
Could Man United make a move for Frenkie de Jong next summer?
Man United have been long-term admirers of De Jong ever since Erik ten Hag arrived at the club and during the Dutch coach’s first transfer window at Old Trafford, the Premier League outfit agreed a €75m plus add-ons worth up to €10m deal with Barcelona for the midfield star, however, the Dutch talent opted to remain in Spain.
The 27-year-old could become an option again for Man United in 2025 if the numbers are right but having signed Manuel Ugarte during the last transfer window, Ten Hag might not have a need for the Netherlands star.
The Premier League club never considered a move for De Jong over the summer, reports Matteo Moretto, with the transfer journalist writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing this week that the Manchester outfit only had eyes for Ugarte.
Moretto said: “I think the Catalan club wants to try to renew his contract, which expires in 2026 and will try to lower his salary. We will see how the negotiations go for him. This summer, Manchester United were never a real option for De Jong, as they had set their sights on Manuel Ugarte.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the Dutch talent as it is clear that Barcelona are open to letting him go in the near future.