Liverpool rekindle interest in Barcelona star amid fresh £29 million demands from Spanish giants: Reports

Liverpool have reportedly reignited their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is believed to be nearing the end of his spell at his current club.

De Jong, who left Ajax to join Barcelona in a £72 million deal in the summer of 2019, has fallen down in his club's pecking order this campaign. The 27-year-old has started just two of his 13 total appearances, scoring once along the way.

Now, according to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have earmarked De Jong as a top target as Arne Slot is a fan of the Barcelona star's profile. They are expected to launch a move for the Dutchman in 2025 with Barcelona ready to sell for £29 million.

However, Liverpool are likely to face a big hurdle in their pursuit of De Jong. They are unwilling to meet the former Ajax star's wage demands. It is still unclear whether the midfielder is open to taking a significant pay cut to leave Barcelona.

Overall, De Jong has helped Barcelona lift one La Liga title and two domestic trophies. He has bagged 18 goals and contributed 22 assists in 226 matches across all competitions for the La Liga giants.

Liverpool boss delighted with 25-year-old star

Earlier on Thursday (December 26), Liverpool came back from behind to register a 3-1 home league victory against Leicester City. Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Mohamed Salah scored a goal each for the hosts against the Foxes.

After the end of the league match, Reds head coach Arne Slot was asked to opine on Gakpo reaching double figures for goals this season. The 46-year-old Dutchman replied (h/t Tribal Football):

"I think the main difference maybe is that the set-up of the front three was a bit different [in the past] than the set-up now. We expect a bit from our wingers to keep it wide, to try to get them in one-v-one situations. Cody has done this really well [this season]."

Slot, who has lost just one of his 26 total games as Reds boss, added:

"[Luis Diaz] has also done this really well when he played from the left but Lucho is, in our opinion, also capable of playing as a nine; he did that really well [in the 6-3 league win] against [Tottenham Hotspur]. Against Spurs, it was mainly maybe Lucho and Mo who were dominant, now it was Cody again, together with Mo. It's just nice to have so many options, in every position actually."

Gakpo, 25, has found the back of the opposition net 10 times and registered four assists in 26 matches across competitions for the Reds so far this season.