His high salary, which has not been lowered, and the renewal contract he signed with Bartomeu continue to create resentment
On a football level, he continues to have problems adapting to the positional game that Xavi Hernández demands of him.
Frenkie de Jong has started the season without clearing up the doubts generated around his figure in summer. He has not reached an agreement with the club for a salary reduction and, in the sporting aspect, it is difficult for him to adapt to Xavi’s system. Two problems that the Dutchman continues to drag.
On the economic side, De Jong’s contract, until 2026, means a handicap to comply with the club’s financial ‘fair-play’ for being one of the most exorbitant in the squad. The footballer has not negotiated a reduction and neither has an exit been considered, despite having a market, with important offers from Manchester United or Chelsea.
For Barça, its sale would have been an oxygen bottlebut the player refused to leave and, furthermore, he felt annoyed by the treatment received by the club, pushing him to leave the entity. De Jong continued despite seeing that he would no longer be the undisputed starteras has been shown at the start of the campaign.
In the club there is a certain resentment the contract inherited from De Jong from the time of Josep Maria Bartomeu. It was an extension signed a week before the resignation of the president and with conditions that allow help at that time in the middle of the pandemic, in October 2020, but that was fired years later. Frenkie signed until 2026 with a clause of 400 million euros.
Frenkie de Jong in the Barça match against Viktoria Plzen
| David Ramirez
Difficult sports fit
The first problem with Of Jong is economic and the second is sports. The Dutchman still doesn’t fit perfectly into the automatisms that Xavi wants in midfield. He finds it hard to accept the positional game and much more play the role of pivot when Sergio Busquets is not there. Against Viktoria Plzen, for example, Pedri had to delay on many occasions to get ahead of the central defenders to cover their backs against the driving and riding of the former Ajax.
Notices
Xavi has been trying to adjust these tactical issues since last season. De Jong had won the game against Gavi as a starter in midfieldbut the coach replaced him against Levante with 1-0 against in a game in which the team ended up winning 2-3 and the same thing had already happened at home against Sevilla the previous day, when the youth squad entered in the 73rd minute for the Dutchman to secure the victory against Sevilla (1-0).
De Jong was losing stripes, although he ended up playing as a starter for Pedri’s injury against Eintracht Frankfurt that prevented the canary from finishing the season.
Frenkie has fallen this campaign from the center of the gala field formed by Busquets, Gavi y Pedri and, given the complexity of its contractual situation, it cannot be ruled out that market movements will resume in the winter window.
