Midfielder has nailed down a spot in Hansi Flick’s midfield alongside Pedri
Frenkie de Jong has said that he expects to sign a new contract with Barcelona in the near future.
The Dutch midfielder, whose has one year left in his contract, has been a long-standing target of transfer speculation. But last season he nailed down a key role in new manager Hansi Flick’s midfield and now seems likely to continue his career in Catalonia.
“I think I will sign a new contract, but you can never say that with a hundred percent certainty,” De Jong told reporters after the Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Finland.
“If everything goes well, then it will happen. They want it and I want it, so normally you can work it out.”
De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 for €75 million and was seen as the cornerstone of the club’s rebuild after the departures of club icons Xavi and Iniesta. Despite struggling with injuries and inconsistency in recent years, De Jong remains one of the most technically gifted midfielders in the world and showed signs of a resurgence last season under Flick.
After the season ended, club president Joan Laporta said Barcelona are happy to extend De Jong’s contract.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of De Jong,” said Laporta. “He’s one of the players who preserves Barcelona’s style of play. He comes from the Ajax school. He’s very enthusiastic, and we’re determined to do whatever is necessary for him to continue with us.
“He’s currently working through some personal and professional matters, and once those are resolved, we’ll be able to announce that he’s staying.”
The “personal and professional matters” referred to De Jong’s split with his long-time agent Ali Dursun. Asked about the matter, the player said: “I can’t say anything about that.
“I don’t want to say anything about that now. I’m with the Dutch national team now, so I won’t comment on that.”
