FC Barcelona has several issues to solve in building its squad, and this is something Arsenal intends to take advantage of. Mikel Arteta wants to have the most competitive project possible and has gone full throttle for a signing from Spotify Camp Nou. Although almost every voice considers his continuity a given... information is starting to emerge placing him far from the capital of Catalonia.
Surprise move
"Fichajes.net" has discovered that Arsenal "has marked in red" the name of Frenkie de Jong. His contract ends in 2026 and he still hasn't renewed, with his continuity at Barça hanging in the air. At 28, he has just completed one of his best seasons under Hansi Flick, having completely turned around his situation as a culer. Despite this, negotiations don't seem to be progressing and he may be getting closer to leaving.
Arteta believes that Frenkie de Jong would fit perfectly into his system, being a great complement to Zubimendi, Rice, or Odegaard.
In this regard, everything will depend on what the Dutchman does in the coming months. Barça wants to renew his contract and, apparently, he is willing to stay. The reality is that, so far, for one reason or another, his renewal hasn't progressed at all. Starting next January 1, he can negotiate with whomever he wants, and his contract ends on June 30.
Overcrowding at Barça
Frenkie de Jong's future is hanging in the air and he happens to occupy one of the most overcrowded positions at Barcelona. In addition to the Dutchman, Pedri, Casadó, Marc Bernal, and Gavi can also play there. Given the current situation, it can't be ruled out that he ends up leaving, even though there is a desire to renew his contract.
He is making his continuity very difficult, although his public statements say otherwise. So far, there haven't been any advances and the footballer attributes it to the problem with his agent. He has cut ties with Ali Dursun, but the "separation" hasn't yet become official.
Pini Zahavi, who is very close to Laporta, has been mentioned as a possible new agent, and it has also been said that his lawyers would handle the renewal. However, things remain at square one and there haven't been any new developments.
This is the scenario Arsenal wants to take advantage of, trying to sign a star like Frenkie de Jong on a free transfer.