‘He is very happy’… Ramón Planes believes leaving Barcelona will be difficult for €45m player | OneFootball

The Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has seen a clear decline in his importance in the FC Barcelona team during the first half of this season.

The Dutchman was unable to play for a significant part of the season because of an ankle injury that he suffered in the last phases of the last season, but several months after recovering from that injury, he is still not a fixed starter for Hansi Flick.

Still, he is gaining the confidence of the German tactician, and played an important role in the second half of the game against Alaves, helping the Catalans get a 1-0 victory. Meanwhile, his future at the Blaugrana club is also subject to a lot of uncertainty, as his current contract expires in 2026, and he has not yet renewed.

In such a scenario, several teams have shown an interest in him, some of them from Saudi Arabia. One such side is Al-Ittihad, where the former Barcelona Sporting Director, Ramón Planes, is in charge of the sporting department.

As SPORT has reported, Planes, talking to Esports Cope, did not believe it would be easy for Frenkie de Jong to leave Barcelona:

“Conversations to understand the market situation are frequent. He is very happy in Barcelona, well-adapted, and if things are going well, it’s difficult for a player to leave for a better team than Barça. I always have to inquire about players and market possibilities.”

Recent reports indicated that the €45m-rated Dutchman now seems more willing to accept a renewal. However, the two parties still have a lot of ground to cover before they can arrive at an agreement.

Furthermore, the surplus of midfielders available in the Barcelona squad can also influence the decisions of these parties. Thus, it remains to be seen how Frenkie’s future pans out, and the next few months can be decisive in this regard.