Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has a number of tasks on his office table despite the transfer window having ended less than a month ago. One of the issues towards the top of the agenda is the contract renewal of Frenkie de Jong.
Manager Xavi Hernandez has been pushing Deco to bring forward the deal for 18-year-old Brazilian striker Vitor Roque to January to give him some extra depth. Sport say that Deco will set his mind to ensuring he can register Roque with La Liga.
In the meantime, he will try to advance contract talks with de Jong. The Dutchman has started the season in fine form up until his injury last Saturday. He intends to stay at Barcelona long-term, and Deco, having informed himself of de Jong’s desires, will open talks with his agent Ali Dursun in the coming months. His intention is to have a deal done once the January transfer market closes, and they have clarity over the Roque situation.
One of the key factors is that Deco has communicated to de Jong that the renewal talks are not purely as a result of their salary limit struggles, but because they consider him a cornerstone of their project going forward.
That said, previous reports have noted that they would like him to follow Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s example and sign a longer deal but at a reduced rate. Even if de Jong wants to retain his salary, Barcelona will be aware that bringing in another player of his quality on the market will cost them far more than caving to his demands.