Barcelona have found their Frenkie de Jong replacement
Cameron Smith
- 27 Jun 2022 22:50 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have lined up their replacement for Frenkie de Jong, should the Dutch international joined Manchester United this summer.
De Jong, 25, joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019, but is set to be sold this summer as the Camp Nou side look to rebuild with financial issues.
Reports have emerged that the Blaugrana have already identified his replacement, suggesting De Jong's move to Man Utd is nearly complete and is almost certain to happen.
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The money from De Jong's imminent sale to Man Utd will be spent on Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie's wages, who are set to arrive on free transfers, and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who is being heavily pursued.
However, Barcelona are also set to use the money gained from De Jong's sale to sign his replacement. According to AS, Barcelona have agreed a deal with Valencia for their midfield star Carlos Soler.
The report details the fee with be around €20 million, with Valencia unable to demand a huge fee due to the fact his contract at the Mestalla Stadium expires next summer.
Soler came through the Valencia academy before making his senior debut in December 2016. Now a fully-fledged Spain international, Soler scored 12 goals and assisted five in all competitions last season as he ended the year as Valencia's joint top-scorer in La Liga, along with Goncalo Guedes.
De Jong out, Soler in
With Franck Kessie already arriving, it seems as though Barcelona's pursuit of Soler suggests that De Jong will leave this summer, otherwise the midfield would become a quickly bloated area of the squad should the Dutchman remain and the Valencia star join.
However, there are two vastly different midfielders, with Soler possessing a far more attacking streak in his game, while De Jong is more of a controller. Either way, it seems as though Barcelona are preparing for life without De Jong.
Read more about: La Liga, Premier League, Barcelona, Man Utd, Valencia, Carlos Soler, Frenkie de Jong
