Premier League superstar agrees 5-year deal with Real Madrid, Chelsea launch shock £101 million bid for Barcelona superstar and more: Transfer Roundup, 22 January 2019

By Shambhu Ajith

Modified May 03, 2019 05:11 GMT

Barcelona confirm interest in Frenkie De Jong as Abidal says the decision is now up to him

De Jong has been a revelation this season

Eric Abidal, Barcelona's Sporting Director did not deny reports that Ajax starkid Frenkie De Jong is a subject of the Catalans' interest. He said that it's upto the Dutchman to decide if he wants to move to the Camp Nou or not.

Abidal said,

"This question has to be asked to the player, he knows there is interest from many clubs and he will make his decision,"

"We can only wait, like everyone else."

Abidal admits departures are possible this month, with Malcom and Denis Suarez among those linked with moves away.

"We are happy with the squad but there is always a chance.

"Players who are not playing very much can stay or leave, all scenarios will be evaluated."

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad