Barcelona: De Jong gives 'yes' to Barça - Catalan press
Mundo Deportivo reports that Frenkie De Jong has finally agreed terms with Barcelona, while Sport reports Adrien Rabiot's move to the club now looks uncertain.
“Yes to Barça”, so reads the front page headline of Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo this Thursday, which reports that Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong has given a ‘yes’ to Barcelona.
The news follows reports earlier this week that the Dutch international had agreed financial terms with Barcelona, and has chosen the LaLiga champions over PSG, who were also vying for his signature.
What remains now is for an agreement to be set in place between Barcelona and Ajax, whose sporting director, Marc Overmars, has asked for 75 million euros for the 21-year-old – a figure which PSG were reportedly willing to pay last month.
Considered one of the most promising young midfielders in world football, De Jong has been high on the agenda of several of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City. But it now looks certain that Barcelona will be the club to land the Dutchman, who has previously publically expressed his desire to play for el Blaugrana.
Adrien Rabiot saga
The other big Catalan sports daily, Sport has dedicated its front cover to PSG player Adrien Rabiot, who has reportedly become the focus of a bidding war between several European clubs.
Last month, PSG sporting director Antero Henrique stated that Rabiot would not sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 club and wanted to leave. As a result, the central midfielder “would remain on the substitutes' bench indefinitely,” Henrique confirmed.
Rabiot has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona for some months and his move to Camp Nou was almost taken as a given. But it has emerged that his mother Veronique is maintaining talks with other clubs and it seems that the 23-year-old’s future is now up the air.
Although, the loss of Rabiot would not come as much of a disappointment to Barcelona fans, who are much more excited by the prospect of Frenkie De Jong.
Furthermore, the Barcelona board are apparently not entirely convinced on signing the French international due to his disciplinary problems – an issue the club has taken more into consideration when signing new players following the situation with Ousmane Dembélé.
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