Frenkie de Jong is now closing on completing his fifth year at Barcelona, having arrived at the club from AFC Ajax in the summer of 2019.
While there has been never a shred of doubt about the Dutchman’s quality, there is a feeling that he has not hit his best levels on a consistent basis for Barça for a large part of his time at the club.
But things have improved a great deal for De Jong over the past 18-20 months, for he has gone on to become one of the captains of the team and an ‘untouchable’ after almost being forced out of the club in the summer of 2022.
Barcelona want to renew De Jong
Now, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona sporting director Deco is eager to hand a new contract to De Jong.
The 26-year-old midfielder’s current contract with the Blaugrana runs until the summer of 2026, meaning there are still more than two years left on his deal.
Despite that, the reigning La Liga champions are eager to offer him a new contract and tie down his future at the club, which makes sense considering how valuable he is to the team.
As a result, Deco intends to open negotiations with De Jong and his agent over a new contract. However, at this point, no progress is expected in renewal talks until the summer.
One of the untouchables at Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Walking the talk
Following a run of poor performances and results for Barcelona, De Jong was one of the players who spoke out and demanded improvements to end the season strongly.
And, so far, he has been walking the talk, as was visible in his performance last night against Deportivo Alaves as Barça went on to win 3-1.
The Dutchman, whose market value stands at €80 million, put on a fine display, helped by the fact that he was relieved of some of his defensive responsibilities with Andreas Christensen operating as the pivot.
Manchester United continue to remain admirers of De Jong, but a new contract at Barcelona could be on the horizon, although no immediate prorgress is expected on that front.
