De Jong tells Barcelona he wants to leave

Willem Leijgraf

• 9 Feb 2024 10:57 GMT
• 3 min read

The end of Frenkie de Jong’s time at Barcelona is in sight.

Although the 26-year-old midfielder is an undisputed starter in Xavi Hernandez’s team, the reality at Camp Nou is that he could be pushed towards the exit.

De Jong has the ambition to win the Champions League, but the question is whether Barcelona will be able to do so in the short or medium term. Previously, the news was broken that club and player are not on the same page regarding a contract extension.

In the summer of 2019, De Jong chose a transfer from Ajax to Barcelona over a transfer to Manchester City, among others. Although the 54-time Dutch international quickly became a key player for the Blaugrana, he has only won three trophies over the past four seasons.

In 2021, De Jong won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona, in 2022 he won the Supercopa de Espaaa and in 2023 he was crowned national champion. However, a major European prize has not been forthcoming.

Although De Jong still has a contract until mid-2026, the right winger could potentially leave Barcelona next summer.

De Jong wants out of Barcelona

According to Lluis Canut, De Jong could be looking for a new challenge. The journalist has told the Onze program on Esport 3 that the former Ajax player is “disappointed” in the current state of Barcelona.

The club’s persistent European failures are the primary reason behind this disappointment, as they have failed to get past the Champions League quarter-finals for eight seasons.

De Jong would only want to leave Barcelona for a club that can seriously compete for Champions League victory.

He was bought for €86 million in 2019 and currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €50m.

Barcelona have been persistent in their desire to retain the Dutchman, with sporting director Deco having reiterated his desire to retain De Jong by tying him to a new contract.