Barcelona star has rejected a summer move to Saudi Arabia | OneFootball

A leading member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has rejected the chance to take his talents to the Saudi Pro League this summer.

That’s according to Diario Sport, who point towards Frenkie de Jong as the player in question.

De Jong, for his part, has of course spent the last couple of months reestablishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet of boss Hansi Flick.

Owing to a resurgence in form following a spell on the sidelines through injury, the former Ajax man has usurped the now-injured Marc Casadó in the engine room pecking order in Barcelona.

As much has given rise to renewed hope of a contract renewal agreement between the parties, ahead of the expiration of De Jong’s current terms in 2026.

And if the latest word stemming from the media on Thursday is anything to go by, then the chances of such a development appear to be increasing all the time.

This comes amid confirmation that De Jong recently knocked back the advances of Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad.

As per Sport:

‘Both he and his entourage have already rejected the possibility of leaving this summer for Saudi Arabia, ruling out the interest of Al Ittihad, who were willing to put a lot of money on the table. Now, everything is focused on negotiations to extend his contract.’

Conor Laird – GSFN