While it seems clear that Barcelona are more than open to selling Frenkie de Jong, up until recently, there was nothing that couldn’t be explained away if the Dutchman wanted explanations. Joan Laporta even publicly stated he wanted to keep de Jong.
Despite constant reports of negotiations between Barcelona and Manchester United, the decision ultimately remains with de Jong in terms of his future. So far he has been refusing to leave the club and reports emerged this afternoon that Barcelona have told him to leave.
It appears the Catalans are stepping up their efforts to push de Jong into a transfer and according to Sport, are willing to take drastic action. The Blaugrana are set to leave for the USA on their preseason tour on Saturday and the club are seriously considering leaving de Jong off the plane.
Curiously enough, Mundo Deportivo also reported that Miralem Pjanic may be on the plane. The Bosnian is most definitely up for sale, but Xavi believes he could be useful if they can’t find a suitor.
Given that both pieces of news leaked at similar times, it suggests that someone within Barcelona has been speaking to the press, or pushing an agenda. If the reports from today are to be believed, it appears Barcelona are taking definitive steps to try and push through de Jong’s move to United. The consequence is that de Jong is unlikely to be willing to help the club in any way financially if he does stay.
