The January transfer window has opened, and Barcelona also has transfer plans. On January 10, the "Daily Sports News" wrote that Barcelona hopes to send away several players. The 27-year-old De Jong is also on the list of players to be cleaned out. For De Jong, Barcelona offers the Dutch core two options: either renew the contract or transfer in the winter or summer window.
According to the "Daily Sports News," under Flick's coaching at Barcelona, De Jong has become the sixth or even seventh-choice midfielder. Pedri, Casado, Gavi, Olmo, and Fermin all have higher priority in playing time than De Jong. If the seriously injured young player Bernal returns, he will also be more valued than De Jong. Flick did not include De Jong in his plans.
De Jong's contract with Barcelona expires on June 30, 2026. Due to injuries, De Jong has only played 469 minutes this season. In the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, De Jong's annual salary is as high as 19 million euros, second only to Lewandowski in the team. De Jong's high salary and low performance make Barcelona eager to get rid of this burden.
Barcelona President Laporta and Sporting Director Deco are dealing with De Jong's affairs. The "Daily Sports News" stated that Barcelona gave De Jong two choices: either renew the contract or transfer.
Barcelona has repeatedly offered De Jong a contract extension, but the Dutch midfielder has not responded. It is unrealistic to expect De Jong to renew his contract with a pay cut.
If De Jong does not renew his contract, Barcelona must accelerate the transfer process. In January's winter window or this year's summer window, once these two transfer windows are missed, De Jong is likely to leave on a free transfer, leaving Barcelona with nothing.
According to the "Daily Sports News," from the current situation, De Jong is prepared to wait until the end of his contract in 2026 to leave on a free transfer. However, Barcelona also has a tough move: if De Jong does not leave this summer, Barcelona will completely abandon him, not even allowing him to sit on the bench, directly putting him in the stands, and banning him for a year!
There is still the World Cup in 2026. If Barcelona bans De Jong for a year, De Jong may miss the Netherlands national team's World Cup journey. This is Barcelona's ultimate move to force De Jong to leave. With high wages and a fragile body, European giants have little interest in De Jong. According to the "World Sports News," Saudi teams have inquired about De Jong's situation, but the Dutchman is unwilling to retire in Saudi Arabia.