Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong won’t be joining Liverpool this summer, and looks set to stay in Catalonia.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that ‘as things stand’ the reported Liverpool target will be going nowhere.
However, that reportedly hasn’t stopped Chelsea from remaining ‘keen’ to sign him. It’s claimed that should anything change, and de Jong leaves Barca, Chelsea would be his ‘probable’ destination.
Liverpool are still in the market for a midfielder before Thursday’s deadline. But whatever happens, it looks virtually impossible that the player they sign will be de Jong.
Liverpool running out of time in the market
Admittedly, Liverpool weren’t the side chasing de Jong all summer. That questionable honour fell to Manchester United. Having failed to convince the Dutchman of a move to United, they eventually settled for Casemiro instead.
The Reds interest in de Jong also largely seemed to stem from fans putting two and two together as the club hunt for a midfielder.
But nevertheless, there were claims earlier in the year that Liverpool were going to try to sign the 25-year-old this summer.
Back in February, Sport reported that de Jong would be an option for Liverpool at the end of the season.
As he’s seemingly available and fits the profile of the player Liverpool need, he’s a logical name to throw into the hat. But de Jong is on massive wages at Barcelona. And despite the Spanish club’s financial woes, they would still want a huge fee for him, too.
As Xavi said back in 2020, he’s an ‘extraordinary’ player, but that comes at a price.
According to ESPN, United had earlier agreed a £55m deal with them earlier in the window. Would Liverpool have been willing to go quite so high on a player who hasn’t grabbed the bull by the horns like many thought he would in Spain? Probably unlikely.
Time is running out for Liverpool if they’re serious about adding to their squad this summer. With de Jong’s name now crossed off the list, they’re leaving it mighty late.
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