An FC Barcelona star is close to renewing his contract after rejecting interest from Saudi Arabia.
An FC Barcelona star has rejected strong interest from Saudi Arabia and is now close to renewing his contract according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
Frenkie de Jong’s almost six-year tenure in Blaugrana has been full of ups-and-downs. The Dutchman has struggled for regular top form and to find his best position, while also spending much of 2024 sidelined through an ankle knock.
When he returned from the injury in the autumn, De Jong found that he had lost his place in the first XI to breakout La Masia talent Marc Casado.
Gradually, however, De Jong dislodged Casado from the fold and is now an undisputed starter in a double pivot alongside Pedri.
Casado’s season-ending injury means that it is a one-horse race for the defensive midfield berth, but De Jong has repaid the faith shown in him by head coach Hansi Flick with a string of impressive displays as of late.
It was Flick that campaigned for De Jong not to be moved on last summer as he believed the number 21 would become central to his plans in the center of the park at one point or another, and Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund was among the 27-year-old’s best ever outings in Blaugrana since joining from Ajax in 2019.
It is no secret that De Jong becomes a free agent in 2026, but he has reportedly rejected interest from Saudi Arabia that would have made him much richer while finally being pushed closer to a renewal with the Catalans.
Any fresh agreement entailing De Jong extending his stay with Barca will probably involve him restructuring when he receives pay deferred during the pandemic and also reducing his salary.
But SPORT reports that the act of De Jong finally sitting down and putting pen to paper in the presence of his representatives plus Sporting Director Deco and President Joan Laporta is edging nearer.
Comfortable in his adopted hometown with his partner and their young child, De Jong is reportedly “clear that it is time to continue in a project that, now, looks like winning many important titles in the coming seasons”.
This term alone, Barca is still in line for what could turn out to be a treble that crowns it the king of both Europe and Spain.
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