Manchester City keen on Frenkie de Jong as Barcelona prepare £75 million sale of Dutchman

Spanish club Barcelona are ready to sell Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong for £75 million, according to Sun, who have cited El Chiringuito. As the La Liga giants begin life under new boss Xavi, reports of them selling De Jong have surfaced, as they are apparently in financial turmoil.

Manchester City have been mentioned as a potential destination. The Cityzens are known for splashing the cash on the players they need and they have now been linked with the Barcelona midfield star. 

Though De Jong has been linked with an exit, the report says that the Catalans could also end up keeping hold of the Dutchman if Xavi deems it necessary to do so.

There are also rumours of Barcelona and Manchester City swapping De Jong and Raheem Sterling. The latter has been linked with an exit from the Etihad as he has, in recent times, complained about his lack of game time under Pep Guardiola.

Nevertheless, the report claims that Barcelona would rather prefer cash as the mode of payment instead of a swap deal, given their financial troubles.

Barcelona's struggles

Barcelona have been struggling on multiple fronts, and their poor form on the pitch led to the eventual departure of Ronald Koeman and the arrival of club legend Xavi as the new manager. As Xavi takes over as Barca boss, it remains to be seen if the club manage a turnaround of fortunes.

Frenkie de Jong has largely struggled for the Blaugrana since joining them in 2019. The 24-year-old has made 106 appearances for them so far, with 9 goals to his name as well. Despite his struggles, De Jong was a regular under former boss Ronald Koeman and Xavi has lavished praise on the player too. De Jong was a huge hit at Ajax before arriving in La Liga.

What plans does Xavi have for the Dutch star remains to be seen but it is no surprise to see Barcelona prepare a big sale given their current position on the table, as well as on financial charts.

Barca are set to take on Espanyol this weekend, which is Xavi's first game as the manager of the club he captained as a player.

Image Credit: @Mancity/@DejongFrenkie21 - Twitter