Albert Ferrer has claimed that Liverpool transfer target, Frenkie de Jong, is needed by Barcelona and ‘perfect’ for them because they don’t have a player like him, as he told La Liga TV.
The former Barcelona defender explained that’s why he didn’t want the sought-after Dutch star leaving during the 2022 summer transfer window.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea were two clubs keen on the £71 million star – and despite a lot of noise and, at times, politics around his situation in Spain, he stayed put at the Camp Nou.
But whilst the transfer window is now shut and that saga can hibernate, for now, it has still been suggested that de Jong will become available during the January window.
Well, it’s pretty clear, even with the late loan addition of Arthur Melo, that Jurgen Klopp needs another midfielder, so it will be interesting if they make a move for the player in the winter because they need something.
But Ferrer has warned about his former side losing such a player that is ‘completely different’ to the likes of Gavi, Pedri and Franck Kessie.
“Every time that de Jong played, he played the same,” said Ferrer. “He performs the same, so you know what you are going to get with Frenkie de Jong.
“He is a player completely different to Gavi, completely different to Pedri and Kessie, so there is only one of him at Barcelona.
“That’s why I said, when he was about to move, the idea was don’t because these are the type of players that Barcelona needs them, they don’t have them.
“His running with the ball, he drives with the ball, breaks a couple of pressing lines, so he is very direct – by having de Jong, it’s perfect because he is always going to get into the box, so I think he’s a good player and believe me, he will have a lot of minutes this season.”
DE JONG OFF THE MARK
Over the weekend, de Jong was handed a rare start by Xavi as Barcelona breezed past struggling Cadiz to secure a comfortable 4-0 win in La Liga – the midfielder opened the scoring.
That was Xavi starting a number of his back-up options because he wanted some of his first-team starters fresh and ready for their challenge against Bayern Munich.
Well, it ended in defeat for the Spanish giants on Tuesday because they were out-muscled by Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern side in a pulsating evening of Champions League action in Bavaria.
There’s no doubt that Barcelona should have scored during the game, as de Jong was handed minutes off the bench and he will now want to return to the XI as Barcelona welcomes Elche at the weekend.
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