Manchester City decide against late summer move for Barcelona midfielder | OneFootball

The final week of the 2026 summer transfer window is sure to be very busy for Barcelona sporting director Deco. He’s still working to bring in a new striker, and while a defender could also arrive, there are also multiple exit cases to be resolved.

Alejandro Balde has been strongly linked with a move away in the last 48 hours after it emerged that Barcelona are open to letting him leave. Another player facing an uncertain future at the Spotify Camp Nou is Frenkie de Jong, who has almost certainly lost his regular starter status following the arrival of Rodri.

De Jong has been tipped to leave Barcelona next summer, now that he has Pedri and Rodri ahead of him in the pecking order, coupled with Gavi and Marc Bernal close behind him. In recent days, he has even been linked with a move to Manchester City, with their head coach Enzo Maresca keen to add another midfielder as cover for Rodri’s exit.

However, Sport have now reported that Man City will not move for De Jong in 2026. The Premier League giants have lined up different targets at the stage, and with the Netherlands international having no desire to leave Barcelona at this stage, a deal is considered to be impossible.

De Jong has many chances to leave in 2026

De Jong may not leave Barcelona now, but his future is still up in the air. He’s currently out with a serious knee injury, but even when he returns, he will find it hard to secure a regular starting place in Hansi Flick’s plans. If he is to have any chance of staying until at least 2029 (when his contract expires), he will need to up his game, although he does have the advantage of being able to reject offers when they come in.