Report reveals why Barcelona are now more open to renewing one of their captains | OneFootball

Although FC Barcelona have emerged as one of the most entertaining and most effective sides in Europe this season, the start of the 2024-25 season was not really ideal for the Blaugranes. The Catalans were not only unable to bring a lot of reinforcements for Hansi Flick in the last summer transfer window, but several of their important players were also unavailable due to physical problems.

One such player was the midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was unable to play for several months after the start of the season because of an injury he had suffered at the end of the last season and which also kept him from participating in the UEFA EURO 2024.

Even after returning to availability in October, his performances were far from his best till the end of 2024, and this situation made his future at Barcelona particularly uncertain, especially as his contract was going to expire in 2026 and the two parties were engaged in complicated negotiations for a renewal.

However, since the start of 2025, his performances have improved significantly, and he is once again a regular starter in the Blaugrana team. Meanwhile, relations between his agent and Deco have also improved, but a final decision about a renewal by both parties will only be reached by the end of this season.

In such a context, a report by SPORT has highlighted the main reason why Barcelona are now more willing to extend De Jong’s contract.

The report claims the Catalans were never in doubt of the quality of the midfielder, and the uncertainty surrounding his future emerged mainly because of his high wages and the club’s financial problems, rather than his sporting performances.

Although one can argue that the Dutchman has not exceeded the expectations that he generated when he rose to stardom with Ajax, and when several big teams across Europe were vying for his signature, still, he is a very important player for the Blaugrana style of play, mainly because of his ability to dictate the tempo of a game and set the way in which his team plays on the pitch.

Thus, having a midfielder of his characteristics is particularly important for a team like Barcelona, which is not only concerned with results, but also lays a lot of emphasis on how the team plays on the pitch. Therefore, the Catalans are now more willing to extend his contract, but we will have to wait till the end of this season for a development in this regard.