“We need money”; Xavi confirmed Barcelona’s are willing to sell £70m player to Arsenal
Arsenal got Declan Rice for big money last summer and now we could see Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong this summer.
De Jong has been a Barcelona star since his move to the Catalan giants. Many transfer rumors have linked the Dutchman with a move to clubs like Manchester United, while Liverpool have also been monitoring him.
However, Sam Dean of The Telegraph, speaking on Charles Watt’s podcast today, described De Jong as a dream signing for Arsenal and hinted that Barcelona’s financial problems could open the door for him.
Frenkie de Jong is Arsenal’s dream signing
When Watts asked Dean about the dream signings for Arsenal in his opinion, Dean singled out De Jong and hinted that he is not completely ruled out due to Spain’s money problems.
“Maybe by this time next year they’ll have to really shake it (the midfield) up and I’m looking at Barcelona and Frankie de Jong and I think he’s a player who fits perfectly into Arteta’s system. He understands the type of football that Arteta wants to play. The whole football world knows that Barcelona has a lot of financial problems and pressures. The question is whether he would want to come, and that was clearly the question for Man United a few years ago when they tried to buy him and Barcelona, by all accounts, were prepared to do a deal. When I look at the players around Europe that you could get, albeit for a lot of money, I think he’s the one,” said Dean.
A midfield that Gunners fans can dream about
Dean touched on this in his comments in the video, but the idea of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Frenkie de Jong in midfield is a dream.
Arsenal already have a top team and any new acquisitions must be players who can improve both the starting eleven and the squad.
De Jong, who costs £70 million, is one of the best in the world at his job and it is clear why Dean chose him.
Dean is not the first journalist to hint at De Jong at Arsenal. Simon Collings also pointed him out as a player Mikel Arteta would also want at the club.