Xavi has suppressed the rumors about a possible departure of Frenkie de Jong. The midfielder has been linked in recent weeks with a departure from Barcelona, which should generate transfer income to welcome reinforcements during the winter transfer window. However, according to Xavi, De Jong is not for sale. “He is very important and able to make a difference.”
“He played a great game against Villarreal”, Xavi looks back on De Jong’s performance during the 1-3 victory in LaLiga last Saturday. “He was comfortable in his position and played a lot between the lines. He scored a goal and gave two or three excellent cross passes. That’s the De Jong we want to see, he was excellent.” The Barcelona coach is also asked about a possible departure of his midfielder at the press conference in the run-up to the LaLiga game with Real Betis on Saturday afternoon. “It’s not for sale,” Xavi said. “He is very important and able to make a difference for us.”
The difficult contract negotiations between Barcelona and Ousmane Dembélé are also discussed. “What I know is that it’s not just about money,” says Xavi. “We have been very clear to him. He is a very important player with a lot of talent. I’ve said it before, he can become the best player in the world in his position. It depends on him. We see him as a key player in our team. He wanted to feel loved and he will be here.” Xavi is not considering putting the French attacker in the stands until he renews his contract. “I’m not considering it. He is under contract with us, so he just has to play, also for the image of the club.”
Thursday reported Sport that Barcelona has entered into new contract negotiations with Dembélé’s management. However, the sports newspaper reported that Mateu Alemany, director of football affairs, left a bad feeling about the meeting that lasted three hours. Business observer Moussa Sissoko is now threatening a transfer-free departure in the summer of 2022 in order to get a more favorable salary for his client. However, Barcelona has indicated that there is no more room to negotiate. The club has already improved the first proposal, while the club is in an extremely difficult financially package. It is rumored that Barcelona wants to offer a lower base salary, but they want to increase the variable part, which can be added in the form of bonuses for achieving certain achievements.
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