Transfer News: Barcelona reduce Frenkie de Jong asking price ‘amid Liverpool links’
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (h/t Liverpool Echo), Barcelona have reduced the price tag for signing star midfielder, Frenkie de Jong.
Liverpool Echo claims that this supposed price tag reduction has come ‘amid Liverpool links’, while Bayern Munich have also been tentatively linked with de Jong.
It is being claimed that the Catalan giants will not sell their star for anything less than £50m. He also apparently has a mammoth £337million release clause in his contract. That is a figure most clubs, if not all, would not be able to meet easily.
The Reds can use a young midfielder like him. Those who have seen the former Ajax man play in the Eredivisie or La Liga would know about his reliable passing skills and composure on the ball.
The 24-year-old star helps his team attain control in the middle of the park and has become a key part of Xavi Hernandez’s rejuvenated Barcelona squad post-Lionel Messi’s departure to PSG. Most clubs, not just the Reds, would be lucky to have a gem of a midfielder such as de Jong in their squad.
What should LFC do?
Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson have been impressive for the club in recent months, especially this season. So has James Milner whenever called upon during his Liverpool stay after he left Manchester City for Anfield.
But the trio isn’t the youngest and in a few seasons, the Reds may have to consider long-term replacements in the midfield. Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones can be two players who could take up such a role in the future.
However, with de Jong, Liverpool would get a seasoned midfielder who has ample experience of playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, and with the Netherlands. Whether they make a move for him, however, remains to be seen.
Right now, Liverpool are cruising and their midfield is a strong point of the formidable team Jurgen Klopp has built. Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are two more names playing in that position apart from the five names mentioned above, while Fabinho is dependable as ever at number 6.
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The club has no urgency of signing a new midfielder immediately and missing out on de Jong, if the club still has serious interest in him, would not be the end of the world. But then again, future-proofing the centre of the park isn’t really the worst idea if the opportunity presents itself.
Looks like fans would have to wait until the transfer window begins to have a better idea of what the club wants before the start of the new season. Right now, the focus would undoubtedly be on winning the quadruple.
