Barcelona is preparing for the worst and expects a repeat of what happened with Ousmane Dembélé, as there is another star in the team who is rejecting all extension offers made by the management headed by Joan Laporta and Deco.
The player aims to leave the club for a reasonable financial package and join a team that guarantees him a higher salary. This is exactly what Dembélé, 27 years old, did.
Despite negotiations that lasted several months to extend his contract, the player categorically refused, allowing him to take advantage of a release clause of only 50 million euros to move to Paris Saint-Germain. There, Nasser Al-Khelaifi offered him a huge salary, and Luis Enrique managed to convince him to leave Barcelona, causing widespread controversy and significantly harming the team.
Unfortunately, according to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional,” all indications suggest that the same scenario may unfold again, this time with Frenkie de Jong.
His contract expires in 2026, and he is the highest-paid player in the team, receiving a very large salary. Initially, he was expected to agree to a contract extension with a significant reduction in his salary, but so far, he has flatly rejected this offer.
This has become a serious issue for Barcelona, as De Jong is suspected of holding talks with other clubs and may have already reached a verbal agreement with one of them. Laporta and Deco are eager to avoid a repeat of the situation where the player leaves for free, which would make it one of the worst deals in the club’s history. This is especially concerning as, over five years ago, Josep Maria Bartomeu paid more than 85 million euros to acquire him from Ajax Amsterdam.
Paris Saint-Germain, who have already benefited from Dembélé’s departure from Barcelona, are closely monitoring De Jong’s situation. The player knows that if he leaves on a free transfer, he will receive a higher salary and a substantial signing bonus.
It seems that Al-Khelaifi may be in a position to once again take advantage of Barcelona’s situation and sign one of their stars, as he has done in the past with Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi.