Barcelona may be forced into De Jong sale as Bayern get ready to pounce

Posted Thursday, December 10, 2020 by Goal.com

The Netherlands midfielder could be moved on for financial reasons with the German giants a potential destination

Barcelona may be forced to sell Frenkie de Jong for financial reasons and, if that comes to fruition, Bayern Munich will be waiting to pounce and pursue the Dutch midfielder.

De Jong moved to Barcelona in 2019, with the then-Ajax star heading to Camp Nou on a deal worth an initial fee of €75 million (£65m/$85m).

He's been a regular for the Catalan side ever since, having made 42 appearances during his debut season as well as 15 so far this campaign.

However, due to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic, Barcelona are staring down financial issues, like many other clubs throughout the world.

The club has stated its intention to lower its salary commitments, but, even if Lionel Messi were to leave the club next summer, there would still be much work to be done to balance the books.

Barca understand that the club has few players that could command a big fee on the transfer market, with Ansu Fati, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Antoine Griezmann and De Jong the only ones that the club believes are true high-value players aside from Messi.

And the club could be forced to sell one of those players for financial reasons, and that decision will be made by the club's new president when they are elected early next year.

Former president Josep Maria Bartomeu came to terms on a new deal with De Jong several weeks ago, one which will keep him at Camp Nou through 2026, and the player's focus remains fixed on the current season.

Should Barcelona be forced to sell, though, there is at least one team waiting to make a move as Goal and Spox can confirm Bayern Munich remain a big admirer of the Dutch midfielder.

Bayern tried to sign De Jong after his breakthrough with Ajax, only to see the midfielder opt for Barcelona instead.

The German champions had scouted De Jong and Matthijs de Ligt all through 2018 and had good conversations with the two before they opted to take their talents elsewhere.

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic remains a fan of De Jong, and has remained in contact with the midfielder's agent in the time since the Dutchman's decision.

A potential move for De Jong would fill a need for Bayern, who have earmarked a midfield addition as a priority going forward.

The club has several other top midfielders on its radar, including Rennes' Eduardo Camavinga and Florian Neuhaus of Borussia Monchengladbach.