Why Frenkie de Jong is not interested in renewing contract with Barcelona this summer

Barcelona have been trying to negotiate with Frenkie de Jong for weeks without success. They hope to extend the Dutch midfielder’s contract, which currently expires in 2026, for a further three seasons, although the player himself has no current intention to do so.

But why? “Marca” details the reasons for De Jong’s decision to leave Barcelona. Firstly, the 26-year-old understands that time is on his side and that he will have more power in negotiations as time goes by.

In addition, De Jong understands that Barcelona’s asking price for him is believed to be 70-80 million euros, which is too high for other clubs. So he hopes that will go down, but that won’t happen this summer because there is no immediate pressure, which is why he wants to bring the pressure himself. It’s also worth noting that he will earn €20 million in the 2024-25 season.

De Jong realizes it would be better to wait until next summer to discuss terms with Barcelona as he will have more power. He only has one year left on his current deal, which would not only lower his asking price for interested clubs but also leave Barcelona scrambling to avoid losing him for nothing next season. This allows him to dictate terms during contract negotiations.

As you can imagine, Barcelona will not be very happy with De Jong’s stance, as it will put them in a very difficult situation. It will be interesting to see if the club themselves force any action in the coming weeks – which could include actively seeking to sell him.