Barça make contact with Frenkie de Jong to initiate contract renewal talks

Frenkie de Jong's ascendancy at FC Barcelona has been growing. After the club put him up for sale last summer to make money, the Ajax-trained player has come into his own over the past season. 

He was very important in Xavi's setup last term and took a step forward in terms of leadership and performance. For the coach, he is a pillar of the team and it is expected that he will have an equal or even greater number of minutes this coming season. 

On Friday, Diario SPORT reported an almost closed agreement with Marc-André Ter Stegen to renew his contract -- and now the club has already begun talks to do the same with Frenkie. 

SAME FORMULA

The idea is similar to the formula agreed with the German goalkeeper. Extending the contract and deferring the salary for the first few seasons so that he gets paid more towards the end of the contract. 

It is a manoeuvre to generate 'fair play' and to be able to carry out the operations that are in mind to complete the squad and respond to the requests of Xavi. As we have been reporting, a right back, a midfielder with goals and an attacker, in that order of priorities. 

HAPPY IN BARCELONA

It is worth remembering that Frenkie's contract expires in 2026, when he will be 29 years old. He is at his point of maturity, happy at Barcelona and, in principle, predisposed to reach an agreement that can help the club in the current context. He has one of the highest salaries in the current first-team squad.