Frenkie de Jong expects to extend his contract with FC Barcelona in the foreseeable future. The Dutch international wants to continue with the club, where his current contract expires after next season.
“I think I will sign a new contract. I can’t say it with 100 percent certainty, but if everything goes well, it will be fine,” De Jong said on Saturday in Helsinki after the Orange’s 0-2 victory in the World Cup qualifier against Finland.
The 28-year-old De Jong has been playing for Barcelona since 2019, which paid around 75 million euros for him at the time. In recent years, there have been several rumors that the club wanted to sell him, but as it looks now, that will not happen in the coming years.
“The intention is to sign a new contract,” De Jong continued. “I can’t say exactly when that will happen, but the club wants it and I do too. Then it will normally be fine.”
Because Barcelona is not participating in the Club World Cup, De Jong has already played his last match this season for the Catalans. The midfielder said in Helsinki on Saturday that he was happy that he did not have to participate in the new tournament in the United States. This gives him some breathing room in the busy match schedule.
‘The team is reaching a higher level’
For De Jong, rest this summer is not unimportant after a long season in which he returned from a serious ankle injury and again became an important force for Barcelona.
Perhaps De Jong even reached a higher level than in his earlier years at Barcelona, but he himself does not see it that way.
“No, I don’t think I was better than in previous years. The difference is that Barcelona won all the prizes in Spain and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. The team is reaching a higher level, so what I do is more noticeable.”