Barcelona decide to postpone contract talks with Frenkie de Jong

The tug-of-war over Frenkie de Jong's contract extension has made new progress. According to Marca, Barcelona has decided to postpone the contract extension negotiations with the Dutch midfielder until the end of this season. This means that De Jong's future at Camp Nou will be decided this summer, although his contract is currently valid until June 2026.

Earlier this month, De Jong's agent, Ali Dursun, met with Barcelona's sporting director Deco to discuss the player's future, but failed to make substantial progress. The two sides finally agreed to postpone the negotiations until the end of the season or the club's competitive situation becomes clearer. Although De Jong is willing to stay, he remains cautious, for reasons including previous criticism from fans and Barcelona's attempts to sell him. However, with his recent strong performance and Hansi Flick's recognition of him, he hopes to evaluate his role in the team before making a final decision.

In addition, De Jong is also weighing the possibility of leaving the team as a free agent in the future, which not only gives him more options but also allows him to get a signing fee. Although his contract still has two years left, Barcelona is unwilling to wait until the last minute to solve the problem, so as not to end up with nothing. If De Jong chooses to renew his contract, the club plans to adjust his contract structure to ease financial pressure; but if he refuses, Barcelona may consider selling him this summer to recover some of the transfer funds.

According to El País, Premier League giants Liverpool have expressed interest in De Jong and have conveyed their intentions to Deco.

Although Flick hopes that the Dutch midfielder will continue to stay, this contract extension farce has not yet had a clear ending and the future is still full of uncertainty. In the short term, the stalemate between the two sides seems to continue.