Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has left the door ajar for a move away from Barcelona under specific circumstances. The Dutch midfielder is out of contract in 2026, but there is no shortage of talk about his future.
The Blaugrana will reportedly accept a sale for as little as €20m this summer unless De Jong signs a contract extension with the club, although the quiet part is that he will have to take a significant pay cut. It has been a topic of discussion in the local press for some time, but De Jong ignores it.
“My contract extension is a topic for the newspapers here, but not for me. “I want to play football and then I see what the club wants to do with me and then I decide together with my agent and my family what I want to do,” he told Voetbal International, quoted by Sport.
Some at the club are reportedly of the opinion that De Jong plans to finalize his contract and enter the free agent market within 18 months. De Jong says he will leave if he feels he is unable to contribute.
“People think I want to stay at Barcelona forever, because life outside football is very good here, and it is good, but it is still less important than what happens on the pitch. If I had the feeling that I couldn't contribute enough, or if the team couldn't compete, I would leave.”
De Jong has struggled to carve out a place for himself in the starting line-up since Hansi Flick arrived and the Dutchman recovered from his chronic ankle problem. This season he has played just eight games, accounting for 362 minutes, but did not come off the bench as Barcelona looked for a winner against Leganes or Atletico Madrid.
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