Barcelona consider Pablo Fornals as alternative to Frenkie de Jong
The Villarreal midfielder’s relatively cheap release clause means he could be a bargain for the club.
Barcelona have made it clear that Matthijs de Ligt is their main transfer target due to the need for a long-term option in the right-footed centre-back role, so they could very easily be priced out of signing Frenkie de Jong because of the interest from other European giants. Therefore, they are naturally looking for potential alternatives across the top leagues.
According to Marca, Pablo Fornals is being considered as an alternative due to a €25 million release clause in his contract, which would be considerably cheaper than signing De Jong. He has been one of Villarreal’s key players this season even though he has only contributed one goal and an assist in 13 league games. His main role is ball progression into dangerous areas which is important in a 4-4-2 shape due to how it is suited to quick transitions and absorbing pressure rather than patient possession play.
Fornals is a versatile option because he has already played in central midfield and attacking midfield as well as a wide midfielder on both flanks this season. The main issue is whether he could fill the role that is intended for De Jong at Barcelona because it is reliant on a specific skillset. His pass success percentage is only 79.5% in the league, which is significantly different from De Jong’s 91.8% even taking into account the difference in quality between the two leagues, per WhoScored.
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His creative numbers are more impressive though as he has averaged 1.6 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes, whereas, the Dutch international’s are 0.8 and 1.5 respectively, per WhoScored. He also has the bonus of having plenty of experience in La Liga due to this being his fourth season in the league.
De Jong could either dictate play from central midfield in a similar way to what Xavi did or be the long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets in defensive midfield. However, defensive midfield wouldn’t suit Fornals due to build-up play in the early stages not being his area of expertise.
There is no doubt that Fornals is available at a bargain price based on his current ability and potential, but the main issue is whether Barcelona actually needs him. Arthur has fitted seamlessly into the team as a ball-retention expert that gives the Catalans greater control of games due to how they are able to keep hold of possession. Carles Alena is on the periphery of the first team, while Riqui Puig and Oriol Busquets are promising La Masia graduates that will soon be part of the senior squad.
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Denis Suarez, Sergi Samper and Rafinha are all likely to leave in either the January or summer transfer window, so that opens up a couple of spaces in the squad. Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic are unlikely to be at the club for the long-term either, but Philippe Coutinho is likely to move back into a central midfield role under a different manager, which means that there is still a lot of competition for places. Fornals is a player that they don’t really need right now, unlike De Jong, even if he is available for a cheap price.