Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Luuk de Jong from Sevilla on a season-long loan agreement after submitting the paperwork to La Liga on time.
Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Dutch striker Luuk de Jong from Sevilla. The Blaugrana needed a striker to come in on Deadline Day after a flurry of late transfer activity in La Liga. The striker will join the Catalans on a loan deal with an option to buy him outright next summer.
What was supposed to be a quiet transfer deadline day in Spain, turned into a late frenzy. Barcelona registered a late interest in Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong after it became clear that French forward Antoine Griezmann has rejoined Atletico Madrid.
With no confirmations forthcoming, a flurry of late transfer activity remained on the cards involving La Liga sides, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. In what seemed like a domino effect of transfer activities, each transfer had an effect on the other.
On one hand, Chelsea completed a loan deal for Saul Niguez from Atletico late in the window. The La Liga champions were keen on bringing Griezmann back to Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona wanted to replace the departing Frenchman with a viable alternative.
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Agreement with Sevilla for the loan of Luuk de Jong! Welcome, @LuukdeJong9! ??#DeJongCuler ?❤️— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 1, 2021
In the late hours of transfer deadline day, Luuk de Jong was identified as the player to replace Griezmann and Ronald Koeman urged Barcelona to negotiate with Sevilla for the player. While personal terms were agreed quickly, Barcelona started advanced discussions with Sevilla over the transfer.
Barcelona agreed on a deal with Sevilla late in the window. They were able to submit the paperwork to complete the deal with La Liga on time, the league confirmed. Despite a long wait following the end of the transfer window, the Blaugrana had not made the announcement public. The agreed deal with Sevilla will be a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the term.
De Jong offers qualities that could help Barcelona cope with what has been a difficult summer for them. Losing Lionel Messi to PSG, then Griezmann to Atletico would have created a huge dent in their goalscoring numbers this season. There are seasoned players in the side including Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, but Koeman wanted someone else for cover and competition.
De Jong, who joined Sevilla from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2019 had become a key member for the club. While he played regularly, the Dutchman was unable to replicate his prolific form from the Eredivise into La Liga. It remains to be seen if his goalscoring numbers increase at Barcelona.
