Frenkie de Jong has returned to training at Barcelona but his relationship with boss Xavi Hernandez has broken down as Manchester United remain hopeful on signing the midfielder.
United have an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona with the value of £56.2million to sign the midfielder this summer. However, the deal has hit a significant stumbling block due to the outstanding payments De Jong is owed by Barca.
Despite their bullish public stance that the Dutchman will be remaining at the Camp Nou, Barca are privately claiming that they are open to his departure this summer. A fresh report has claimed that De Jong’s relationship with Barca officials has broken down.
A report from Diario AS has now claimed that the bond between De Jong and Xavi had never fully taken off, but now was more strained than ever. The player is said to feel that the coach does not trust fully in him and that has impacted on his commitment to the club.
The report references an interview from De Jong earlier in the season, after a league clash against Mallorca in which the midfielder insisted: “Xavi has given me confidence. The conversation with him was very good. Xavi has told me that he has confidence in me, I have confidence in me. Everyone is happy.” However, the body language throughout that interview appeared to suggest otherwise.
After Barca conceded a late equaliser away to Osasuna midway through the season in La Liga, Xavi lamented: "We don't have footballers with the total packaging to control the game." It is believed that was a pointed reference to De Jong, whose job in the side’s midfield is to control matches.
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De Jong’s relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta has already proved to be strained. The midfielder was a signing made by the club’s former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, with the acquisition seen as a vindication for that board – as they beat Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to the player's signature, with a special visit to the player included in order to convince him to join Barca.
After Barca lost in the Spanish Supercopa to Real Madrid, the club released a video of Laporta going into the dressing room after the game to praise his players for their performance – alluding to the fact that the game was much closer than had been anticipated despite the loss. In the aftermath of that match, De Jong said: “It makes me a little sad to say that we are proud when we have lost. At Barca, when you lose you have to be disappointed.”
It is a transfer saga that has drawn into months but the future of De Jong remains unclear, with Barca still open to concluding his sale to United – but there appears to be little committal from any party regarding the deal.
