Barcelona open to selling Frenkie de Jong after agreeing €20 million deal for 25-year old: Reports

Highly-rated Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong could be on his way out of the Catalan club in the summer. The La Liga giants are eager to add Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler to their ranks. Contract talks between the two parties are at an advanced stage with an agreement on the cards.

However, AS believe the move could hinge on de Jong's transfer away from Spain. Soler's contract at the Mestalla club expires in 2023 and hence the Spanish outfit would prefer to cash in on their asset in the upcoming transfer window.

The 25-year-old has been an ever-present figure in the Valencia midfield and has shown the versatility to play in wide as well as centrally advanced roles. He is valued at €50 million according to Transfermarkt. However AS believes that Barcelona will pay a transfer fee in the region of €20 million to acquire his services.

Xavi Hernandez had earlier denied any speculation surrounding de Jong's exit but the funds that his sale is capable of generating have changed the Spaniard's mind.

The Dutch international was signed by the Catalan club for a whopping €86 million back in 2019. Although they may not be able to recoup that exact amount, Barcelona will demand a fee in the region of €70 million for the midfielder.

Spanish outlet AS suggests that Xavi wants a midfield general who can lead the team from the front and in this regard, he might rate Soler above de Jong. The Valencia academy graduate is understood to have agreed to personal terms with the Camp Nou outfit.

Soler is also a more potent source of goals from midfield and has found the back of the net on 12 occasions compared to de Jong's four. However, Los Che denied any agreement between the clubs through their Twitter handle.

There will be no shortage of suitors for the Barcelona midfielder when he is put on the transfer list and the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich have been linked with the player. His former coach Erik ten Hag will be in the dugout at Old Trafford next season and could plot a sensational reunion if the club supports him.

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Barcelona get back to winning ways at Camp Nou against Mallorca

It was a difficult two weeks for Xavi Hernandez and his team as they lost two consecutive home games, both by a scoreline of 1-0 to Cadiz and Rayo Vallecano, respectively. The defeats were also a setback in their hopes of finishing second in La Liga, with Sevilla chasing them in the third spot.

The Blaugrana were finally able to shrug off their poor home form and earned all three points on Sunday against relegation-fighting Mallorca. Goals from Memphis Depay and Sergio Busquets in each half gave Barcelona a two-goal lead.

The visitors halved the deficit with a 79th-minute Antonio Raillo goal but couldn’t find an equalizer.