Barcelona are desperate to get rid of Frenkie de Jong and Liverpool could be set to become an ‘important ally’ on that front.
That’s according to El Nacional.cat, who appear to be getting ahead of themselves and a little hopeful when it comes to the midfielder.
They claim that Arne Slot has asked Liverpool to sign Frenkie de Jong and the Dutchman may end up arriving at Anfield in the near future.
According to the Catalan outlet, Liverpool can become an ‘important ally’ for Barcelona as they look to solve the big problem that De Jong has become for them.
They say the midfielder is a ‘headache of biblical dimensions’ for Barcelona, because he’s only putting in mediocre performances when he’s on the pitch. He is nothing like the player they signed from Ajax for €85m in 2019 and both Joan Laporta and Deco have had enough.
He’s on their transfer list, with his performances and the ‘incredible salary’ weighing down the club. De Jong is currently among the top earners along with Robert Lewandowski.
The problem is that the old suitors are no longer there, and this is where Liverpool come into the mix because Slot ‘still believes’ that De Jong is a top star. In fact, he believes he can revive him as he has done with Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate and Darwin Nunez. The outlet names those three specifically.
Thus, he has asked Liverpool to ‘initiate contacts’ with Barcelona to try and bring De Jong to the club in January. It’s claimed the Reds do not want to ‘make a large outlay’ and are aiming for a deal at €50m or less.
Why Liverpool would want him at that price is anyone’s guess, though, especially given the revival Gravenberch has had. In fact, midfield is probably the least of their concerns at this point.
Furthermore, why would they want to do Barcelona a favour with De Jong when they can arguably wait a bit longer and get him cheaper next summer when he enters the final year of his deal at the Camp Nou?
There’s also the question of whether Liverpool’s new set up is designed for the manager to be making such requests. All indications are that they’ve moved away from the manager having such power.
Instead, we’d suggest that this is El Nacional trying to drum something up on Barcelona’s behalf, with the Catalans absolutely desperate to get rid of him to help their finances and Liverpool’s current success, plus the Dutchman on the touchline, has put them in the spotlight.
