Barcelona are not too optimistic about €60m star’s renewal talks | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are constantly working to retain the players that are most crucial to the club. Unfortunately, not every negotiation pans out the way that it is expected or hoped to pan out initially. As a result, some negotiations for Barcelona are often dragged on for a much longer time than initially anticipated.

While certain cases such as those of Pedri and Gavi are believed to be relatively easy to finalize, others have proven to be more difficult. Ronald Araujo was a good example of this, but even his situation is gradually getting warmer in terms of Barcelona and the player hoping to find an agreement.

However, there is still one particular case that continues to be a frustrating one to resolve for all parties concerned. That particular case would be the one related to the contract extension of Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong. With the €60 million-rated star’s contract set to expire in 2026, there is a lot of urgency at play.

As such, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are trying to get the player to renew with the club but things are not looking optimistic. Moreover, considering the ease of the negotiations with the camps of Gavi and Pedri, this case becomes an even more problematic one.

Furthermore, De Jong’s renewal is crucial for the club even if they do not wish to retain him in the future. That is because if Barcelona fails to renew him beyond 2026 and the player manages to run down his current deal, he could end up leaving for free that year with La Blaugrana being left empty-handed.

Given how expensive the signing was when former Barcelona president Bartomeu signed him from Ajax, there is a clear financial reasoning behind renewing the player as well. Unless he signs a new deal, the club could end up making none of the money back that was spent on bringing the player over to Catalonia in the first place.

However, there are also sporting reasons backing up Barça’s desire to renew the player. Believing that he is now one of the more experienced names in the team and a player who excels in terms of technical agility, he could be a great asset for Hansi Flick moving forward.

On the other hand, if the player does not renew, he could end up becoming more and more of a substitute for the team rather than a primary starter despite being one of the captains. Such is the dilemma that both the player and the club must face simultaneously, but the deal is hardly a straightforward one.

Having felt betrayed in the past due to the speculation around his contract and earning, De Jong’s stay at Barcelona has been riddled with a lot of external news. There is still no response to the offer sent by the club at the end of 2023, and things continue to look cold when it comes to the topic of a potential renewal between the two parties.