Bayern Munich Ready to Pay $100 Million for Frenkie De Jong: Should Barca Sell?
Bayern Munich, the perennial German champions and Champions League contenders, are reportedly ready to make a bold move for Frenkie De Jong, the Dutch midfielder who has become a key player for FC Barcelona in recent seasons. According to El Nacional, Bayern are willing to offer $100 million for De Jong, who joined Barca from Ajax in 2019 for $82.4 million. The potential transfer, if it happens, would be a big test for Barca’s new leadership and sporting project under Xavi Hernandez.
The Background: Barca’s Financial and Sporting Challenges
To understand the context of the De Jong transfer rumors, it’s worth recalling some recent events and trends at Barca. The Catalan club, one of the most successful and famous football teams in the world, has been facing financial difficulties for several years, partly due to mismanagement and overspending in the previous board’s era, and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In August 2021, Barca announced that they had a net debt of $1.5 billion, and needed to cut their wage bill by $218 million to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
To tackle this challenge, Barca had to sell some of their top players, including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, and Emerson Royal, and reduce their salary costs by renegotiating contracts with the remaining squad members. However, even after these moves, Barca still had a high wage bill and some transferable assets that could attract interest from other clubs. One of these assets was Frenkie De Jong, who had a mixed debut season under Ronald Koeman, but showed glimpses of his potential as a versatile and elegant midfielder. De Jong was also a relatively young and valuable player, with a long-term contract and a good reputation in the market.
However, despite Barca’s willingness to sell De Jong to balance the books, the player himself was not eager to leave the club in 2022. When Manchester United made a bid of $93.3 million for him, De Jong declined the offer, citing his desire to play under Xavi and win titles with Barca. De Jong’s decision was seen as a vote of confidence in the new coach and the team’s prospects, but it also left Barca in a tricky situation: they had lost a potential source of income and had to find other ways to cut their wage bill. Barca did sell some players, such as Emerson Royal, but still had some high earners, such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Philippe Coutinho, who were not easy to move.
The Rumors: Bayern Munich’s Interest in De Jong
Now, with the end of the season approaching and the transfer window looming, Bayern Munich have reportedly expressed their interest in De Jong and are willing to offer $100 million for him. The German giants, who are currently coached by Julian Nagelsmann and have a talented squad including Robert Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich, and Leroy Sane, see De Jong as a perfect fit for their style of play and as a potential successor to Thiago Alcantara, who left Bayern for Liverpool in 2020. Bayern are also aware that Barca need to sell some players to balance their books, and may be tempted to accept a big offer for De Jong, even though he has become an integral part of Xavi’s midfield and has helped Barca win La Liga this season.
The Dilemma: Should Barca Sell or Keep De Jong?
The question for Barca’s board and fans is whether to accept Bayern’s offer and sell De Jong, or to keep him and hope to find other ways