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Barcelona will have to make quite a few tough calls during the summer transfer window in a few months as they look to generate some revenue through player sales.
With the need to add depth to the team and paper over all the cracks, Barcelona might have to let go of some of their talented players in some positions that are stacked.
Central defence, for example, has four top players competing for two, or at max, three spots. The rise of Pau Cubarsi has not helped, either, with the 17-year-old fitting in seamlessly. As such, Jules Kounde and/or Andreas Christensen will likely be placed on the transfer market.
Similarly, the Catalans also have quite a few talented central midfielders. Pedri and Gavi have understandably been deemed untouchable, while Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez have little to no transfer value for being on opposite ends of the experience spectrum.
This leaves them with Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman has reportedly opened the door for his exit.
And while Barcelona are not particularly looking to sell him, as per a report from MARCA, they have left the final call with the player. In fact, the club want to renew his contract.
Will de Jong stay?
De Jong has not made a final call on his decision, though. While he is unhappy about his tenure in the Catalan capital so far, there could be several factors that could incline him to stay.
One, of course, could be the recent birth of his child. The former Ajax, along with his fiancee Mikky Kiemeney, welcomed a son into their lives in November 2023. This could potentially impact their decision about leaving this early on.
Secondly, de Jong is a well-documented Barcelona superfan. He had dreamt about joining the club as a teenager, and eventually completed his dream in 2019.
Finally, with a change of the coaching situation coming through after the end of the season, de Jong could be inclined to give his tenure one more shot under another manager, possibly someone as reputable as Hansi Flick.
Should…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-do-not-want-to-sell-e100-million-superstar-final-decision-left-to-player-report/
Author : Udhav Arora
Publish date : 2024-02-10 13:36:39
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