Major swing in Frenkie de Jong contract stalemate with Barcelona | OneFootball

After months without progress on his contract situation, there has reportedly been a tangible shift in Frenkie de Jong’s stance on a new Barcelona contract. Last year Barcelona offered the Dutchman a new deal, but having seen his importance to the first team decline, and a series of ankle issues affect de Jong, the Blaugrana withdrew their offer.

It means negotiations will have to start from scratch, but MD report that de Jong is now keen to negotiate. The previous offer had gone without response from the Dutchman, but now his contract situation will force the two to reach a conclusion on his future. De Jong has 18 months left on his current contract, but with Barcelona now making it a policy to have none of their players going into the final year of their deal, they will look to sell de Jong if they cannot agree a new deal.

Image via Alex Caparros/Getty Images

De Jong has always maintained that he wants to remain at Barcelona, but now it seems is willing to stay, feeling positive about the future at the club, with his ankle issues behind him. The news has been received with a mix of caution and contentment by the club. They had been edging towards a sale in the summer, but this could alter the situation.

A tough negotiation seems to be on the way. Barcelona will not want to offer the Dutch midfielder a major deal, with Marc Casado, Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo all outperforming him this summer. Equally, de Jong will be able to attract more lucrative offers from elsewhere, and Barcelona could do with a sale in order to allow them to strengthen other areas with less depth. Even so, it will help de Jong’s bid to stay at the club that Hansi Flick appears to have faith in his ability.