It is well known that Barcelonaare not in a good economic situation. The club’s officials are doing everything they can to pay off debts as quickly as possible, have agreed on a deal with Spotify, and are trying to obtain new sponsors. But there is still a long way to go.
In the meantime, Barcelona have to keep on competing. Xavi Hernandez‘s team finished the 2021-2022 La Ligaseason in second place in the standings and qualified for the 2022-2023 Champions League.
To compete at the highest level, the Cules know they need top-level players, and they are looking for them. But at the same time, European clubs are aware of Barcelona’s bad financial situation and are taking advantage of the opportunity to bid for top-level players that the Spanish team have on the roster.
The player many teams want to sign is Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman has already communicated that he desires to continue at Barcelona, however, the club’s directors would be willing to let him go just for two circumstances.
WhyXavi would be willing to part with Frenkie de Jong?
The fact is that it is not ruled out that de Jong could be transferred this summer, Xavi said that for him he is an important player, but he also understands the economic situation of the club. For his part, Joan Laporta, Barcelona’s president, said: “We will do what is best for the club. Frenkie is a coveted player in the market, and we have received offers. The priority is the club’s economy”.
Manchester United’s bid for the player appears to have been ruled out. However, de Jong could become the key to making some of the signings that the sporting area and the coaching staff dream of a reality. Basically, because of the money that the sale of the Dutchman would bring in and the salary mass,it would free up, and also because, for example, two clubs that want him are the same ones in which Barça’s market targets are playing.
According to Mundo Deportivo, one of the clubs interested in the 24-year-old are Bayern Munich. At the same time, Barcelona are in negotiations with the German club to sign Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern would not sell Lewandowski for less than €50 million, a price that seems unaffordable for Barca as of now. The Cules believe de Jong could be the solution that convinces Bayern Munich to sell the Pole on the cheap. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Spanish club sources admit that if it were necessary to sacrifice the Dutchman to sign the striker, it would have to be considered weighing up the pros and cons.
Another club interested in de Jong are Manchester City. Pep Guardiola is a great admirer of the Dutchman. In fact, in 2019, he already tried to sign him, even calling the midfielder personally to try to convince him. And this past winter, as Barça’s managers have learned, City were once again interested in de Jong and would now return to the charge for him.
In addition, Manchester City have a player on their roster that Xavi intends to sign. The Spanish coach intends to sign Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese has a contract until 2025, however, he is not very happy with the role he has in the team and stated that he would analyze his situation at the end of the season.
Barcelona would be willing to hand over de Jong if they can get Silva to join the Spanish side. According to Transfermarkt, the Dutchman is worth 70,000,000 euros, while the Portuguese has a value of 75,000,000 euros.