Hansi Flick asks the team’s star player to leave in January for the sake of Barcelona

Hansi Flick has been upfront with the Barcelona player, informing him that he should start seeking a new team for the next season, possibly even during the January transfer window. However, recent acquisitions like Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have altered the team’s plans, potentially leading to changes.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, the German coach has grown impatient with Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has missed multiple chances to prove his worth and demonstrate that he can still play a key role in the team’s plans. In a match against lower-league Barbastro in the King’s Cup, de Jong was one of the changes in the lineup, playing the full 90 minutes, but failed to make a positive impact.

He played a lackluster game, going largely unnoticed and showing that he is still far from his best form, lacking self-confidence. His contribution didn’t help improve the team’s performance, and it became clear that he doesn’t seem ready to be a regular starter, falling behind teammates like Gavi, Marc Casado, and Pedri Gonzalez.

Joan Laporta has long been trying to move de Jong on, having agreed on a deal with Manchester United two years ago, only for Xavi Hernandez to block it at the last moment. However, de Jong’s market value has since decreased, and it has become harder to find suitors for him. His high salary only complicates matters, making it tough to secure any serious offers.

Barcelona is now hoping to get a substantial fee of between 50 and 60 million euros and to offload de Jong’s hefty wage, which is among the highest in the squad, alongside Robert Lewandowski’s. But a major obstacle to Deco and Laporta’s plans is de Jong’s contract, which runs until 2026. He is under no obligation to leave if he doesn’t want to, meaning he could choose to stay another 12 months and leave for free. As a result, he has been directly urged to leave as soon as possible for the club’s financial benefit, as they cannot afford to lose him without compensation.