Having signed Gerard Martin, Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Pedri to new deals in the final week of January, and then agreed extensions with veterans Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski, the contract situation with Frenkie de Jong is even more conspicuous at Barcelona. The Dutchman is out of contract in 2026, and the Blaugrana want to either sign him to a new deal or sell him before the end of this summer.
Barcelona had made him an offer last season, including a significant wage cut, but de Jong did not respond to the offer, as he evaluated his options. With de Jong dropping out of the team and struggling with an ankle injury in November, the Blaugrana decided to withdraw that offer from the table. However de Jong’s return to form and increase in game time under Hansi Flick has pleased the Dutchman, who now has a renewed desire to stay at Barcelona.
Yet Marca say that there has been no contact whatsoever between Barcelona and de Jong’s agents. A sepulchral silence remains between the two parties, and there is no sign of it being broken any time in the near future.
A roadmap for the coming months has been drawn up though. Barcelona have no intention of allowing de Jong to leave on a free in 2026, and predict contract talks will not begin until the summer, once the season is done. Barcelona will put him up for sale if those talks are not successful, and no longer consider him a major loss to the squad following the emergence of alternatives.
Breaking: Fermín López has been suspended for one game following his red card against Sevilla.
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 12, 2025
Whether that assessment tallies with Flick is another matter. There has been a fairly consistent string of reports claiming that Flick believes in de Jong’s talent, and feels that his skillset suits his style. Recently a fresh report surfaced noting that Flick was pushing for the club to renew de Jong’s deal, and last summer it was said that the German coach vouched for the Dutchman too.
