Frenkie de Jong is no stranger to the spotlight at Barcelona.
But after years of uncertainty — with Barca previously trying to sell him to Manchester United in 2022 and 2023 — they appeared to finally be in a good place together last season.
The Netherlands midfielder was enjoying arguably his best spell at the club since joining from Ajax in 2019. He had grown in importance to Hansi Flick’s team, questions over his future had largely disappeared and, in October 2025, Barca rewarded him with a new contract until 2029.
This summer, however, tensions have risen again.
There have been questions about how De Jong’s fitness was managed with the Netherlands at the World Cup, frustration over the 29-year-old’s latest knee injury and disagreement on how that should be dealt with.
In an emotionally charged interview with club media on Friday, the Dutchman responded to this by taking aim at “damaging” and “false” media reports about his physical condition, attitude and relationship with Flick — strongly denying that he refused to play in last season’s Champions League quarter-final second leg with Atletico Madrid.
Here, in an article informed by conversations with multiple sources — all of whom asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — The Athletic explains why there is so much noise around De Jong right now.
Why is there so much focus on De Jong?
The main factor is the knee injury he suffered at the World Cup.
De Jong picked up that issue during a training session during the tournament and played through pain in the Netherlands’ round-of-32 tie against Morocco, in which the Dutch were eliminated on penalties.
In his interview with Barca’s in-house media on Friday, De Jong said initial assessments during the World Cup showed signs of “a small problem”.
The Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup after losing to Morocco on penalties (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “Everyone knew about it. They said I could continue playing. I also asked about it and they assured me that it couldn’t get worse.”
When De Jong returned to Barcelona on July 13, he reported that he was still feeling pain. Further examination revealed a more serious injury than was initially thought: a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Sources say Barcelona believed surgery offered a quicker route back to full fitness — but that De Jong ruled it out. He is instead now following a conservative treatment plan.
“Right now I’m doing work with the physical therapists,” De Jong said in his interview. “We’ve made a plan which everyone knows about and everyone agrees with.”
How has this led to new tension?
According to dressing-room sources, Flick was frustrated by De Jong playing through injury at the World Cup.
The German’s view, according to those voices, was that it would never have been allowed to happen at Barcelona. There was frustration at the Netherlands for allowing De Jong to play. The Athletic approached the Dutch FA for comment.
Barca sources also have doubts over the results of De Jong’s conservative treatment plan so far. Their expectation at the moment is for De Jong to be back fit again around November, but this would depend on how his recovery progresses.
De Jong also missed a key run of Barca fixtures last season after suffering a hamstring problem in February. He was absent for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico, and only played the last 10 minutes of the return game in the Spanish capital, with Diego Simeone’s side progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
De Jong watches on from the Barcelona bench on his return from hamstring injury in April (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
In his interview with Barcelona on Friday, De Jong strongly denied recent media reports that said he had refused to play in that second leg.
“That’s false, it’s simply not true,” De Jong said. “My dream is to play for Barça and, above all, in the big Champions League matches. Everyone wants to play in those matches. I don’t understand how anyone could say that I refused.
“I see things like that, and I get angry and irritated. If people get angry and if that’s the only information they have, I understand them. That’s why I’m explaining it.”
That Atletico match was on April 14. De Jong’s fitness was carefully managed as the season came to an end — with the player only making six further substitute appearances, including the 2-0 win over Real Madrid on May 10 that sealed their La Liga title. He was absent from two other games.
By the time of the World Cup, he was deemed fit enough to start each of the Netherlands’ four matches.
There was a belief within Barca’s first-team unit that De Jong was more focused on playing at that tournament than finishing the domestic campaign last term. The Athletic put this point to a figure close to De Jong, who said the player’s position was reflected in his interview with Barca on Friday.
What’s the history here?
The peak of tensions between Barca and De Jong came in 2023.
That summer, Barcelona pushed as hard as they could for De Jong to join Manchester United. The club had already tried to sell him in 2022 — although not due to any doubts over his technical quality. Anyone within the Barcelona dressing room will tell you De Jong is the player who stands out most in training.
De Jong signed in 2019 under the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu on a gross total salary of €14million per year, joining a squad with an already large wage bill. Barca eventually ran into problems meeting La Liga’s salary cap rules.
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Barca reached an agreement to defer part of several players’ salaries, including De Jong, to cushion the financial impact of that time. Barca ended up owing him €17million in deferred wages, meaning that, combined with bonuses, his salary would increase from the 2023-24 season onwards.
This was not the fault of any of the players on high salaries. But when Barca found themselves struggling to register players, it became a factor in their search for solutions, as moving on a high earner such as De Jong would free up room in their salary limit.
The player’s camp believed the club were trying to turn public opinion against the midfielder to facilitate his departure. The episode affected his relationship with the media and his standing among Barca fans.
In an interview with Diario Sport in May, De Jong said he “made a mistake” at that time by “stopping talking to the press”.
He added: “I went through a period when they were pushing me to leave the club and, at one point, I was very angry and didn’t want to talk anymore. But that’s when… people only hear opinions or things through the press and newspapers, and they don’t hear you.”
What is De Jong’s role now? Would Rodri’s signing change that?
Flick has always shown a great deal of faith in De Jong and under him the Dutchman has played the best football of his Barcelona career. His press resistance, ball-carrying and physicality to cover lots of ground have made him a fundamental part of the midfield.
But De Jong would likely be the player most affected by Rodri’s arrival.
Why Barcelona is a better fit than Real Madrid for Rodri
Thom Harris
The Manchester City and Spain midfielder would come in as a starter in the position where De Jong feels most comfortable. Sporting director Deco considers Rodri to be the ideal successor to Sergio Busquets in defensive midfield, with Barcelona having continually tried to find his replacement since he left as a club legend in 2023.
Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and was named player of the tournament as Spain won the World Cup this summer. Flick has got the best out of De Jong, but could he and Rodri both play together? Would Flick continue to show that faith in De Jong?
We will have to wait for Rodri to sign — and for De Jong to return — for answers to those questions.
