Report: Barcelona set surprisingly low Frenkie de Jong asking price | OneFootball

Barcelona could accept a surprisingly low offer for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, whose turbulent 2024 has seen him go from crucial leader to surplus to requirements in a matter of months.

De Jong's status at Barcelona has seemingly been torpedoed by the ankle injury that saw him play only 45 minutes of football during a seven-month period between March and October. He had already missed almost two months earlier last season but seemed to have recovered.

The Dutchman would have been regularly captaining Barca this season had he been fit from the beginning. Instead, he finds now himself struggling to regain a starting role as Hansi Flick prioritises Pedri, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado and Dani Olmo in the midfield. Marc Bernal, who made a major, albeit brief, impact prior to a season-ending injury, will also return in 2025/26.

SPORT writes that Barcelona, having wanted to renew De Jong's contract prior to his lengthy injury layoff, have now changed their intentions. They are thought not to want him to enter the final year of his current deal, which expires in 2026, and will make the player available for transfer. A reported contract offer that was on the table is said to have "expired" given the change in circumstances.

De Jong has regained a regular place since recovering from injury / Octavio Passos/GettyImages

One local radio report even suggested Barcelona would go as low as €20m (£16.6m) in their valuation of the player and would consider such an offer to be satisfactory to move him on.

It was even recently reported that Barcelona could even let De Jong leave on a free transfer as it would allow them to move on from his high wages.

Manchester United were close to signing him in 2022, even agreeing an €85m (£70.6m at today's exchange rate) package with Barcelona. But the player's reluctance to leave the Catalan giants, as well as an unresolved issue regarding around €20m in deferred wages, tanked any potential deal.

United have moved on in more ways than one in the two years since, dismissing Erik ten Hag – De Jong's former Ajax coach, unearthing Kobbie Mainoo and spending handsomely on Manuel Ugarte.