Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has confirmed he is on the cusp of signing a new contract with the club.
While De Jong has never hidden his desire to extend his stay in Catalonia, his contract situation sparked plenty of concern as he entered the final 12 months of his current deal without an agreement over fresh terms.
Things were complicated by a dispute between De Jong and his representatives. The Dutch international had to finalize a departure from his previous agency contract before being able to enter into talks with Barcelona, and that process was only resolved in August.
With Barcelona now free to negotiate with De Jong, sporting director Deco recently confirmed his belief that the midfielder would soon sign a new deal, before Fabrizio Romano revealed the agreement between the two parties was effectively done.
As he prepared for the Netherlands’ victory over Malta on Thursday, De Jong was asked about Romano’s latest update, and the 28-year-old was happy to confirm the news.
“Basically, as I’ve always said, I’m going to renew with Barcelona,” he said. “We’re very close.
“When there’s real news, you’ll hear about it, but I can’t say anything for now.”
Asked whether he plans to spend a long time at Barcelona on top of the six years he has already enjoyed with La Blaugrana, De Jong simply added: “I hope so.”
A contract extension would bring an end to years of speculation about his future in Barcelona. De Jong has repeatedly stressed his commitment to the club but was made available for transfer on a number of occasions over the past few years amid concerns over his high salary.
A long-running transfer saga involving Manchester United has regularly dominated headlines but De Jong has never entertained the drama, putting his head down and becoming a key starter under Hansi Flick when he returned from injury last season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Basically’—Frenkie de Jong Confirms Final Barcelona Contract Decision.
