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Arsenal eyeing Barcelona star Frankie de Jong as midfield solution

By on February 10, 2024

Frankie de Jong Barcelona

According to HITC’s Shaun Webley, Arsenal have asked to be kept abreast of any developments regarding Frankie de Jong’s future. The former Ajax player has been linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer.

Arsenal is thought to be looking to strengthen its midfield. Looking at Mikel Arteta’s team, one could claim that there is one slot available in the middle of the park. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are considered to be Arsenal midfield starters, while the third midfield slot is believed to be up for grabs.

As that position is being contested for, Arsenal have been looking in the transfer market at some elite midfielders and it seems Arteta is looking to complete his midfield puzzle.

Frankie de Jong transfer chance

A number of top midfielders have been linked, the latest being Frankie de Jong. The Barcelona midfielder could be leaving the Camp Nou in the summer.

Webley claims in his HITC report that the La Liga giants’ readiness to trade any of their players except Pedri, Gavi, and Yamine Lamala in order to boost their transfer kitty makes it understandable why de Jong could be on his way out.

As per the report, the £68m-rated Dutch international is a sellable asset, and that, plus the fact that he’s one of their highest earners, makes his departure beneficial to Barcelona, financially.

Webley says Arsenal have inquired about De Jong, and perhaps they will be at the front of the queue in his transfer race. In 2022, de Jong turned down a move to Manchester United after Erik Ten Hag, who was looking for a midfielder who could bring control to his engine room, had made him his top target.

With that out of the way, I’m sure he’d be tempted to join Arsenal, having previously stated that he would have preferred to play for Ajax, then Arsenal, before moving to Barcelona.

“In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona; call it the Marc Overmars route,” De Jong told Voetbal International back in 2019.

“But yes, if you can go directly to Barcelona, then you are right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream.”

I believe his admission of Arsenal as a club he would have liked to join from Ajax indicates he has a soft spot for them. So this is a transfer story we should keep a close eye on.