Xavi Hernandez was firm in the face of the potential loss of a player so important to his plans. Because one of the most discussed rumors in Barcelona in the past few days is the sale of Frank de Jong, which sounded strongly for being the sacrifice that Joan Laporta and Mateu Alemany are considering. They need to generate revenue, and he was a serious candidate packing his bags
Thanks to their departure, they managed to collect a large sum of money, around 70 million euros, and more. This is the figure that Manchester United was willing to pay to withdraw the striker, who became a priority request for Eric ten Hag, as it was already in the summer. Unfortunately, they were unable to strike a deal, but they were hoping for better luck when they tried again
However, things have changed drastically. Because after being assured that he had no place in the starting line-up, and that he would have to accept a secondary role, “21” managed to establish himself as a regular in the charts once again. And he did really well. He has regained the confidence of the Catalan coach, who does not yet want to hear about the possibility of his existence without former Ajax Amsterdam and Willem II
Therefore, Xavi has already warned Laporta that he will not be amused seeing how they accept any proposal that comes in for De Jong. He would prefer that one more player go, that they keep the 25-year-old midfielder in the team, who should be a successor to Sergio Busquets for many, and see how well he performs when it is his turn to serve as a defensive centrepiece. In this way, they can save money which means having to hire a professional for this demarcation
Surprises cannot be ruled out, but at the Camp Nou now the idea of getting rid of the Dutch international, who is currently focusing on the World Cup in Qatar, has not been raised
Di Jong doesn’t want to leave either
And if we add to this that De Jong has always expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona, everything indicates that he would be happy to stay at Old Trafford again. No matter how much money they can offer both Laporta and the player himself, it will not be enough to convince him
Ten Hag would have no other solution than to think of alternatives for its establishment
