A bid from the Saudi Federation for the Dutchman De Jong, captain of Barcelona International sport

Al Malaeb Newspaper – The Saudi Jeddah Federation plans to sign Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona's Spanish midfielder, in the upcoming summer transfer market.

The contract of De Jong (27 years) with Barcelona expires in June 2026, so the Catalan club will prefer to sell him if no agreement is reached on the extension of the contract.

Spain's Relivo network reported that Jeddah Federation officials are trying to exploit the current situation between De Jong and his club and have already held talks with the Dutch player's agent to reach an agreement with him.

For his part, Spaniard Ramon Blanes, sports director of the Jeddah Football Association, who previously worked at Barcelona between 2018 and 2021, confirmed that the Saudi club has set its sights on more than one player in the ranks of Barca, led by De Jong . .

According to Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Barcelona recently withdrew the extension offer it had made to De Jong in recent months until further notice, due to the delay in the player's response.

The Spanish network said: “Barcelona's main intention is to sell the player before he enters the final year of his contract and prevent his free departure without gaining any financial benefit.”

At the same time, Barcelona does not rule out the possibility of a new bid for De Jong, but this move is subject to the player's performance at a high level during the remaining matches in the current 2024-2025 season and his huge salary.

These developments come at a time when Barcelona management and players are in Saudi Arabia, where the Catalan team will play the final match of the Spanish Super Cup against its traditional rivals Real Madrid tonight (10 p.m. Mecca time), in King Abdullah Sports City. Stadium (The Shining Jewel) in Jeddah.

De Jong came to Barcelona from Ajax Amsterdam in the summer of 2019 for a contract worth 75 million euros.

But the Dutch star did not live up to the Catalan club's ambitions. Since joining the team, he has played 228 matches in all tournaments, scoring 18 goals and providing 22 assists, according to figures from the famous website 'Transfermarkt'. specialized in player data.

De Jong was absent from the team for a long time due to injuries.
He won only 3 titles in 5 seasons with the team: the Spanish League (1), the Spanish Super Cup (1) and the Spanish King's Cup (1).

De Jong failed to regain his starting position this season with German coach Hansi Flick. Since October last year, when he returned from the injury he suffered at the end of last season, the Dutchman has played only fifteen matches in all tournaments.

De Jong was not spared from criticism from the Spanish press in general and the Catalan press in particular due to his poor performances at Barcelona.