Frenkie De Jong to Barcelona: Barcelona’s general manager Pep Segura confirms the club’s interest in the Dutch midfielder.
Barcelona have been in fine form at the moment. Barring their latest shock 4-3 defeat to Real Betis last weekend, Ernesto Valverde’s side has been solid, even without the contribution from their superstar Lionel Messi.
The Argentine injured his arm during the game against Sevilla, but it hardly dampened the spirits in the Barca camp. Luis Suarez stepped up for the side as Barcelona registered convincing victories over Inter Milan and Real Madrid, before clinching a late winner in the first leg of the Copa del Rey.
As the winter transfer window approaches, however, Barcelona look to actively involve themselves in the market.
In the meantime, Barcelona’s general manager, Pep Segura pressed on various issues within the club in an interview with ESPN, and confirmed Barca’s interest in Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
Frenkie De Jong to Barcelona:
Frenkie De Jong has been one of Barcelona’s primary targets in the summer transfer window. The midfielder impressed the European giants with consistent performances for Ajax.
Pep Segura, in an interview with ESPN FC, stated that the Dutch international suits the profile required at the Catalan club.
“In general, we will always need players like De Jong because that’s the profile we want,” Segura said. However, Segura also insisted that it is necessary to create a balance in the squad, and ensure versatility in the team.
Just witnessed one of the best individual performances I’ve ever seen seen on a football pitch from Frenkie de Jong of Ajax at Estadio da Luz. Mesmerising! Movement, control under pressure, range of passing. Hope the feck he can’t shoot or we’re all in trouble. He’s 20.
— Coach (@MindMuscleOrg) November 7, 2018
“But we’ve always had players with characteristics not necessarily loyal to what the club demands, like [Seydou] Keita, who have added that balance that you need to fight for every competition. And the biggest competitions, like the Champions League, require players with different profiles more and more.”
De Jong: “Learned my body faint from their videos? I don’t know, I used to watch every Barcelona game in which Messi, Iniesta and Xavi played. Perhaps I have unconsciously been taking over things from them.”
— Barça Centre (@barcacentre) November 13, 2018
However, reports suggest that Manchester City are currently in a better position to sign De Jong. Pep Guardiola intends to complete a deal for De Jong in January itself, and the club plans to sign the Dutch star and loan him back to Ajax until the end of the current season.
Frenkie de Jong (Ajax): “Which player do I watch the most on YouTube? Messi. Because I find it beautiful what he does, I don’t watch it because I want to match it, that’s impossible.” [vi] pic.twitter.com/NbUBQcMcJz
— Barça Centre (@barcacentre) November 13, 2018
De Jong, meanwhile, stated that he often watches videos of Andres Iniesta and Xavi to learn. “I often look for videos on YouTube to learn from Xavi and Iniesta,” the midfielder stated, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
