Juventus’ pursuit of Barcelona star midfielder Frenkie de Jong has suffered a blow as Xavi delivered an update on the Dutchman’s future at Camp Nou. In his most recent interview, the Blaugrana boss admitted the ex-Ajax man has a special place in the club’s project for the future, effectively shutting down speculation about the player’s summer exit.
“De Jong is Barca‘s present and future,” Xavi said, as quoted by Calciomercato. Despite experiencing an underwhelming season by his standards, the Dutch midfielder remains one of the central figures at Camp Nou amid the club’s bid to overhaul their squad following a couple of disappointing years.
Barcelona splashed out €75m to sign De Jong from Ajax in 2019. The 24-year-old moved to La Liga three years ago carrying a reputation as one of the most exciting up-and-coming midfielders in European football. However, he has failed to live up to expectations thus far.
De Jong’s sub-par performances in Catalonia have coincided with Barca’s recent downfall. With the Blaugrana suffering in the wake of Lionel Messi’s departure, many star performers have struggled to hit the ground running under Xavi, including the Dutchman.
Unsettled in La Liga, De Jong has emerged as a potential transfer target for Juventus. The record-time Italian champions were hopeful of pairing the former Lancer prodigy up with his ex-teammate Matthijs de Ligt at the Allianz Stadium.
Juve’s interest in De Jong is somewhat understandable as Massimiliano Allegri looks to revamp his midfield options in the summer. Adrien Rabiot and Arthur could wave goodbye to Juventus at the end of the season following another lacklustre season.
The duo’s potential departure would leave Allegri short of options in the middle of the park. Therefore, Juventus are in the market for a new deep-lying midfielder to inject fresh blood into their depleted midfield department.
Unfortunately, Xavi’s recent words mean Juventus will have to search elsewhere.