Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly keen on signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona but cannot afford to pay €70 million to secure his services.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Frenkie de Jong is the subject of interest from Juventus over a possible move in the summer transfer window. But the Serie A giants are not ready to shell out €70 million to secure the services of the Dutch midfielder.
Frenkie de Jong has endured a rollercoaster ride since joining Barcelona from Ajax in July 2019. While the 24-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers for the Blaugrana during a tough period for the Catalan club, his future is not set in stone as he is one of the most highly valued players at Camp Nou.
To date, the Dutch midfield maestro has made 137 appearances for Barcelona, chipping in with 13 goals and 17 assists in the process. But as iterated earlier, de Jong faces an uncertain future at FC Barcelona, with the situation capturing the attention of some of the most high profile clubs across Europe, including Juventus.
The Serie A giants have bolstered their midfield in the last two transfer windows, bringing Manuel Locatelli and Denis Zakaria to the Allianz Stadium. The duo might not have been consistent enough but will likely form the core of Juventus’s first team for the foreseeable future.
But midfielders like Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey, Arthur Melo and Weston McKennie face uncertain futures in Turin, with Rabiot even linked with Barcelona. Frenkie de Jong is thus a viable target for the Bianconeri, with the Dutchman’s qualities potentially making him a game-changing addition to the first-team squad.
However, Barcelona’s €70 million price tag is the biggest obstacle for Juventus, who cannot afford to fork out such a sum to sign a player in the summer transfer window. The Serie A giants are ready to offer a part-exchange deal to sign de Jong. But Barcelona will not accept an offer of that kind and will only sell de Jong if a suitor can pay €70 million.
Apart from Juventus, de Jong is also a target for Manchester United, with the Red Devils making him a priority target for the summer transfer window. The Red Devils could possibly afford his €70 million price tag, but it will be interesting to see if Juventus can somehow negotiate the valuation to sign de Jong from Barcelona.
