Barcelona: Romano issues huge update on £74m Frenkie De Jong

Barcelona have been handed a big boost over one of their star assets…

Frenkie de Jong was deemed expendable by the Catalan side just last summer.

And despite constant pressure from the club, amidst a rather messy ‘deferred wages’ scenario, the 25-year-old had no plans to exit Camp Nou.

Manchester United spent the majority of their resources that summer trying to sign the former Ajax maestro, and even though an €85million fee had been agreed, that was still not enough to unite the star with his former boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Ultimately, De Jong’s heart is set on Barcelona and that does not look like it will change any time soon, judging by the latest update.

What’s the word?

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, De Jong made the correct decision to stay and fight for his place under Xavi, with the 25-year-old seemingly hopeful of his future at Camp Nou.

Taking to his personal Twitter page to relay the update, Romano shared De Jong’s sentiment:

“I hope I will play at the new Camp Nou. Barcelona is the club of my dreams, so I plan to stay for many years”, told TV3.

“It looks like it's going to be nice. The plans for the stadium are very good.”

Xavi’s Golden Boy

Featuring in Xavi’s starting XI 76% of the time, De Jong has served as a solid contender in Barcelona’s engine room and seems to have firmly placed last summer’s drama behind him.

Given his comfortability in possession, De Jong has offered a great deal of stability to Xavi’s side and completes the most amount of accurate passes in the midfield, averaging around 66 passes per 90 in La Liga this season at an accuracy of 90.5%.

In comparison to last season, De Jong’s passing metrics this season by far outweigh his average of around 54 passes per 90 in La Liga.

It’s interesting to note that De Jong’s increase in passes correlate directly to his more significant role through Barcelona’s build-up in the possession phase this season.

With Xavi implementing a 3-2-2-3 shape in the attacking build up, De Jong sits as one of the deeper lying double pivot duo in the engine room, making way for the wide-left to cut into a more central position to create a box-shape between four central players.

Barca look to sit in this shape as often as possible, and given the fact that their philosophy is heavily reliant on keeping possession, De Jong plays an integral role as a string-puller in Xavi’s midfield.

The Final Say

Judging by Romano’s latest update, it appears that De Jong has not at all been put off by the drama that haunted him last summer, with his recent admission pledging his allegiance to the club for many years.

Of course, with the Catalan giants finding themselves in a financial mess, there is still an overwhelming element of unpredictability at the club, especially regarding personnel.

So, whilst nothing is guaranteed, the star who was subject to an €85million (£74million) agreement with Manchester United has done just about everything he can to show the club why they should strive to keep him for years to come.