Barcelona suspect €60m player is delaying renewal talks to leave for free | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have several renewal operations to address in the coming months. Up to 11 Blaugrana players have contracts expiring within the next two years, and the Catalan club is working to ensure that none of these players enter the final year of their contract without reaching a renewal agreement.

Players who do not agree to renew will be placed on the market a year before their contracts expire. Barcelona have prioritized the renewals of certain players, including Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Negotiations with de Jong, however, are proving particularly complicated for the club.

Barcelona have already offered the Dutchman a contract, but he has yet to respond. According to SPORT, the Catalan club now suspects that the €60m-rated Dutch midfield star may be intentionally stalling negotiations in order to leave for free in 2026, when his contract expires, without making his intentions clear.

Hansi Flick has indicated that De Jong will be an important player for him and has already given the Dutchman his first start following his recovery from a lengthy ankle injury.

Furthermore, the Blaugrana paid €70 million for his transfer, so losing him on a free transfer would be a significant setback for the club.

With this new contract offered, one of the purposes that Barcelona wanted to achieve was to spread out the salary still owed to De Jong from the pandemic era. In addition to his base salary, the midfielder is also receiving deferred payments, which is proving to be a significant burden on the club’s coffers.

Furthermore, the player’s relationship with the Catalans club is not too good since Barcelona tried to push him off to Manchester United. Thus, this operation will have to be taken forward with a lot of care, but for now, the Blaugranes are getting pessimistic about their chances of securing his renewal.