De Jong to...Arsenal? Barcelona star can cause huge stir with IDEAL transfer

Yanick Vos

• 14 Nov 2023 10:55 CST
• 7 min read

Frenkie de Jong can no longer expect a new contract from Barcelona this season.

The club are having a hard time financially and are therefore unable to upgrade contracts. Although the Dutch international has indicated several times that he wants to stay with Barça for years to come, it is not inconceivable that both parties will eventually part ways. If that happens, a transfer to Germany or England seems obvious.

De Jong is contracted to the Spanish superpower until 2026. Barcelona would like to keep him, but the club has put talks on hold. “We are not going to renew with anyone this season,” says sporting director Deco in an interview with SPORT. “We are talking to agents and we are going to upgrade the contracts little by little. Frenkie is a great player, ultimately it is up to him and the club. I can only say that he is a great player and that I like to have great players under contract.”

A summer move?

Despite Deco's nice words and De Jong's desire to stay at Barcelona, his agent Ali Dursun will keep his eyes and ears open for options in the summer. After all, Barcelona have been struggling with financial problems for years and the Dutch international is well-liked in the market.

Last summer, the club refused an offer of €100 million for De Jong, as chairman Joan Laporta confirmed at the members' meeting last month. It is not known which club wanted to make De Jong the most expensive Dutch footballer of all time, but it is no secret that Erik ten Hag wanted to bring him to Manchester United.

The question is whether Barcelona can refuse another bid of €100m for De Jong next summer. If no new contract is signed, the summer transfer window is the last window in which Barcelona can ask for the top price for the midfielder.

The club will have to sell him in the summer of 2025 - which will not benefit the asking price - to prevent him from walking out the door for free in a year's time. Barcelona cannot afford capital destruction; De Jong was acquired from Ajax in 2019 for a minimum of €75m and a maximum of €86m.

In the summer transfer period of 2022, there was almost a split between De Jong and Barcelona. Manchester United wanted him and the Barcelona club management wanted to get rid of him. De Jong had to give up half his salary or leave.

However, he did not give in and that led to drama, resulting in a place on the bench for the midfielder. According to De Telegraaf, De Jong was owed 'approximately €19m' in deferred salaries at that time. The ex-Ajax player held his ground and did not want to talk about a salary reduction; Barcelona had to first fulfil all obligations.

Despite all the troubles surrounding overdue payments and financial problems within the club, De Jong is visibly keeping his head above water from a sporting point of view. The fact that Barcelona cannot offer him a new contract is yet another setback that De Jong has to deal with behind the scenes.

Deco's words will set off alarm bells among other European powers that have had him in their sights for some time. If a departure is inevitable next summer, there are several clubs that could strike. Based on data from SciSports, there are three clubs where De Jong would fit like a glove.

The Career Advice Tool calculates based on data to what extent player and club are a good match. This estimate is based on, among other things, the expected transfer value (ETV), playing style, level and projected potential of the player. Various factors such as the possibility of development, chances of playing time, the playing style and the formation of the club influence the outcome.

Manchester City – Club Fit: 81

What a transfer coup it would be, a midfield with Frenkie de Jong, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. According to the data, Manchester City would be an excellent destination for the Dutch international. Although De Jong is nearing the peak of his career at the age of 26, he could develop excellently under the wings of Pep Guardiola and in the Premier League.

The only disadvantage of a transfer to Manchester City is the small chance of playing time. The competition in midfield is enormous. With Rodri, Kalvin Phillips, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne, Guardiola is spoiled for choice.

However, the club management would do well to discuss De Jong's arrival. He is perfect for the game that Guardiola wants to play. City under the Spaniard play in a slightly different formation than De Jong is used to at Barcelona, but he has proven that he can adapt quickly to both his clubs and the Dutch national team. Perhaps there will be a move to Manchester after all - sorry Ten Hag!

De Jong has an ETV of €50m, an amount that he is currently worth according to our data. It is quite possible that Barcelona have a higher asking price. After all, last summer an offer of €100 million was not enough to pry him away from the club.

City are wealthy and have often been willing to pay large transfer fees in the recent past. With a transfer fee of €117.5m, Jack Grealish is the most expensive purchase so far, while last summer €90m were paid to RB Leipzig for Josko Gvardiol.

Bayern Munich – Club Fit: 84

Matthijs de Ligt and De Jong reunited at Bayern Munich? According to SciSports' Career Advice Tool, a transfer to Bavaria would be an excellent choice for De Jong. Just like at City, all the ingredients are present at Bayern and in the Bundesliga for good development.

A starting place in Thomas Tuchel's team does not seem guaranteed in advance, but he has a slightly greater chance of playing time than at Manchester City. With his playing style, De Jong fits perfectly with Bayern and the formation that Tuchel uses is tailor-made for him.

In recent years, Bayern has been mentioned several times as an interested party in De Jong. It is certainly not inconceivable that the German superpower will try for the midfielder next year. The current line-up in midfield is not very deep with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer.

With De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and recently Daley Blind (now of table-topping LaLiga side Girona), Bayern have shown themselves to have a soft spot for ex-Ajax players. For the arrival of De Jong, Bayern may have to break the transfer record they set with the acquisition of Harry Kane in a deal that could rise to €120m.

Arsenal – Club Fit: 85

If De Jong leaves Barcelona, a transfer to Arsenal is the best choice based on the data. The fact that Arsenal are a better match for him than Manchester City and Bayern Munich has to do with his chances of playing time. The key player of the Dutch national team was expected to play a lot under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal's playing style and formation fit seamlessly with that of De Jong.

However, if City and Bayern show serious interest in De Jong, Arsenal would be left chasing shadows. Although the picture is ideal based on the data, City and Bayern play for the biggest prizes every year, unlike the Gunners. A transfer from Barcelona to Arsenal seems like almost something of a step back for De Jong, while this does not apply to a move to City or Bayern.

Yet Arsenal need not despair. De Jong has always had a soft spot for Arsenal, as he told Voetbal International in 2019. "I have had the following list in my head for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, the Marc Overmars route, so to speak. But yes, if you can go directly to Barcelona, then you are immediately where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream.”

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