Barcelona are reportedly keen on working out a new deal for their star midfielder Frenkie de Jong amid ongoing interest from Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea.
During Erik ten Hag's first summer window in charge of The Red Devils, the 54-year-old manager tried to sign De Jong, aiming for a reunion with the player with whom he enjoyed considerable success at Ajax.
United continued to pursue De Jong throughout the summer, even reaching an agreement on a fee with Barcelona.
However, the player's unwillingness to join United, combined with an issue over deferred wages owed to him by the Spanish giants, saw the potential move to Old Trafford come to an end.
Barcelona's ongoing challenges with Financial Fair Play are now expected to present a significant obstacle when approaching the upcoming transfer market.
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The club is believed to need around £85m to fulfil the instalments of the sale of 49% of Barca Studios before the closure of the summer transfer market.
Failure to do so would severely limit their flexibility in the wage bill and prevent them from signing players under the 1/1 rule.
One potential strategy to alleviate this issue is through the sale of players to generate the necessary income.
According to Marca, there are some players that are considered untouchable, such as Lamine Yamal, Gavi and Pedri, in addition to established veterans such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Robert Lewandowski.
The report adds that while Barca are keen on extending De Jong's contract as well, the Dutchman has not decided on his future as yet.
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It is understood that the three players who are most likely to leave if the sale of players is necessary are Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha.
When asked about his future in Spain amid last summer's interest from Man United, De Jong affirmed his commitment to the La Liga champions in an interview.
"I always wanted to be at Barca," he said.
"In these first years, we had not won the league, nor gone far in the Champions League. We had only won one Copa del Rey. To succeed at Barca I had a lot left.
"And I also saw that the team was improving that summer. High-level players arrived. And that's why I wanted to continue. It is the club of my dreams and I want to be here all my life. I didn't want to leave suddenly."
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However, based on this recent report, it appears that something has changed for De Jong since making those remarks, as it is understood that the midfielder is now more open to the idea of leaving Barcelona, with speculation over a move to Manchester resurfacing once again.
It is also believed that Ten Hag's stance on the 26-year-old is unlikely to have changed.
Last year, Ten Hag publicly praised De Jong, saying: "Frenkie is an incredible player and for every club in the whole world he will strengthen the squad because he has a unique quality.
"If you can get him in the squad your team will be stronger. In Spain, he became even better. He's a fantastic player, plays out from the back, he always has time and it was a pleasure to work with him."
De Jong has scored one goal in 19 matches across all competitions for La Blaugrana this season, and his current contract with the club is set to run until the summer of 2026.
Devesh Jaganath
