Barcelona 'set £58m asking price for Frenkie de Jong'

Barcelona have reportedly slapped a £58m price tag on the head of midfielder Frenkie de Jong ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Netherlands international is having to compete with the likes of Gavi and Pedri for his spot in the middle but has remained a key player for the Blaugrana since the arrival of Xavi.

De Jong has registered four goals and five assists in 44 appearances for Barcelona in the 2021-22 campaign - starting 27 of his side's La Liga matches so far.

However, De Jong's future has been called into question over the past few weeks, with incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag supposedly keen to reunite with his former Ajax protege.

Xavi recently labelled De Jong the "future" of Barcelona amid links with a switch to Old Trafford, but the midfielder is still reported to be considering his future having grown frustrated at his lack of 90-minute games.

The 24-year-old has only completed two of his side's last 11 games in La Liga, but Barcelona are in a strong negotiating position with his deal not expiring until 2026.

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According to Spanish outlet AS, Barcelona are indeed willing to let De Jong leave amid their long-standing financial issues, but they are prepared to drive a hard bargain for the Dutchman.

The report adds that La Blaugrana will hold out for a £58m fee for the ex-Ajax man, with Xavi allegedly not viewing him as captain material moving forward.

Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with an interest in De Jong, who has made 137 appearances for Barcelona since 2019, scoring 13 goals and setting up 17 more in that time.

The same report indicates that Barcelona already have a ready-made replacement in the shape of Valencia's Carlos Soler, who has found the back of the net 11 times in 28 La Liga appearances for his side this season.

AS claim that the Catalan club have agreed a deal to sign Soler for a fee of €20m (£16.7m) in the upcoming window, but Los Che have since released a statement denying the existence of such a deal.

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"In response to a story published this Monday in Spanish newspaper Diario AS, Valencia CF deny the existence of any agreement -or any ongoing negotiation- with FC Barcelona for the transfer of Carlos Soler," the statement read.

"The club are currently in an open negotiation process with the player and his agents to extend his contract with Valencia CF."

Soler's current contract at Valencia expires in under 18 months' time, and the 25-year-old is also rumoured to have attracted the attention of Liverpool after scoring 35 goals and providing 31 assists in 219 games for Los Che.

Barcelona are expected to boost their midfield ranks with the summer signing of Franck Kessie, though, with the Ivorian seemingly set to head to Camp Nou as a free agent when his AC Milan deal expires next month.

Xavi's side returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 2-1 success over Mallorca on Sunday, with that result leaving them two points clear of Sevilla in second place in the La Liga table.