How Pique's retirement affects Frenkie de Jong's transfer plans
Karan Tejwani
- 4 Nov 2022 20:05 GMT
- 3 min read
Gerard Pique announced his decision to retire following this weekend’s La Liga match against Almeria at the Camp Nou, and that may have an impact on Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona.
Pique is set to end his playing career after struggling for the last few months at Barcelona and it’s his wish to not play for a club other than the Blaugrana.
That will impact Frenkie de Jong, as Barcelona are set to sign another centre-back to replace Pique in January, meaning De Jong may not get game time in defence, as it was previously suggested.
READ: Xavi announces Barcelona's January transfer priority
If Barcelona go ahead with their plans, De Jong may have to look for another club, as competition in midfield may be rife in a few months.
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Barcelona are already stacked in midfield, with Pedri, Gavi, Franck Kessie and others in the area and they are targeting a new signing for the pivot position.
Earlier in the summer, De Jong said he was fine with playing in defence, should the situation arise: "I don't care where I play, I feel comfortable when I touch the ball a lot and today it happened. I'm very happy about that."
READ: Pique's retirement opens door for Messi's Barcelona return
However, according to Sport in Spain, Barcelona have identified Wolves’ Ruben Neves as an option in midfield and could move for him soon.
For the defence, they are also looking at a move for Inigo Martinez of Athletic Club and that could affect De Jong’s game time come next summer.
⏪ Pasó en la pasada Europa League...
𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎 de Frenkie de Jong 🔵🔴#UEL | @DeJongFrenkie21 pic.twitter.com/hX9RQW2mSb— UEFA.com en español (@UEFAcom_es) October 30, 2022
Martinez is easy to get as he is out of contract at the end of the season and Barcelona can get a cut-price deal in January, as Athletic Club will be hoping to get a fee for him.
Xavi spoke about the situation: "We are going to see what happens. But knowing that Gerard is going, maybe we will look for a centre-back in January. We will analyse things after the Osasuna game."
