Official: Barcelona seal summer signing of Frenkie de Jong
Barcelona will pay a whopping €88 million for Frenkie de Jong
Putting an end to this long-standing transfer saga, Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Frenkie de Jong, who will be joining the club on a 5-year old deal when the summer transfer window starts.
The agreement between Ajax and Barça is for a principal fee of €75 million, with €11 million in add-ons based on performance. Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and CEO Òscar Grau negotiated the final details of the details of the deal in Amsterdam.
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This transfer will make Frenkie de Jong the most expensive Dutchman of all-time, overtaking international teammate Virgil van Dijk. At Barcelona, De Jong will initially act as backup to Sergio Busquets, eventually succeeding the club legend in the first-team.
De Jong is among a host of signings the club has made from Ajax in its history, most notably legendary attacker Johan Cruyff and centre-forward Patrick Kluivert. Goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen is the latest player to have moved to the Catalan capital from Amsterdam.
This is a huge move, and the club has already panned out their plans for the 21-year old defensive midfielder. The management plans to use his versatility to employ him in a variety of roles across the midfield, but usually as a holding midfielder.
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The confirmation of De Jong’s signing also rules out a move for the temperamental Adrien Rabiot, who was seen as an inexpensive alternative to the Dutchman. But his vitriolic attitude always made him a risky bet, and Barça are paying a premium for the safe option.