Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly entered the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer.
The Dutchman's future in Catalonia has been a hot-button topic for a couple of years now, as he has not agreed a new deal with the reigning La Liga champions since October 2020.
Manchester United memorably tried and failed to poach De Jong from Catalonia in 2022, going as far as to have a bid accepted by Barca before losing out to the player's will to stay put.
Since that summer soap opera, De Jong has publicly reiterated his commitment to the Barcelona cause when questioned by the press, but it has now been alleged that he is no longer fully satisfied with life at Camp Nou.
Barca head coach Xavi will step down at the end of the 2023-24 season, in which his side seem destined to cede their La Liga title, sitting eight points behind Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
© Reuters
La Blaugrana are still in contention to become Champions League winners, though, and Xavi recently insisted that De Jong was happy in Spain as speculation over his next career move intensifies once more.
However, both Manchester United and Chelsea are believed to be on red alert, while Tottenham Hotspur have purportedly come forward with a bid of £51.2m for the former Ajax protege.
Now, Sport claims that financial powerhouses PSG have also thrown their hat into the ring and would be willing to pay £68.5m to prise him away from Barcelona, who are not in a position to turn down lucrative bids given their dire economic state.
Nevertheless, the Spanish champions are understood to be holding firm on their original asking price of £85.5m, as De Jong is still under contract at Camp Nou for another two seasons.
Money is never a problem for PSG in the transfer market, but the French champions will have even more resources to spend this summer thanks to the impending exit of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
© Reuters
While Les Parisiens will not pocket a single penny from Real, they will supposedly save a gargantuan €200m (£171.2m) in annual wages and will also not have to pay Mbappe his loyalty bonus, thought to be in excess of £50m.
Capturing a big-name attacker to replace Mbappe will be a priority for PSG, but ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is also after reinforcements in midfield and defence as he moulds the squad into his own vision.
Enrique left Barcelona two years before De Jong's arrival from Ajax in 2019, since when the Netherlands international has produced 16 goals and 21 assists in 207 matches for La Blaugrana in all tournaments.
De Jong has not enjoyed an especially productive campaign for Barcelona in 2023-24, though, only finding the back of the net once in 24 matches, although he was hampered by an ankle injury from September to October.
The 26-year-old made just two Champions League group-stage starts due to the issue, but he is expected to be in the first XI for Wednesday's last-16 first leg versus Napoli.
Ben Knapton
