Barcelona will sell 3 first-team midfielders to make room for de Jong

Frenkie de Jong wanted an assurance of regular playing time before signing for Barcelona, so the Catalans may clear some midfield pieces in the summer.

Barcelona announced the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax Amsterdam last week, for a reported fee of 75 million euros exclusive of add-ons which might cost up to 11 million euros. The Netherlands international is certainly going to be a positive addition for the club, especially given that Busquets and Pique need a successor in the next few years.

However, the 21-year-old’s major demand was regular playing time and for that reason, he even went on to reject higher wages from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. According to Sport, Barcelona did accommodate his request and are now considering the sale of three first-team midfielders in the summer.

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While nobody’s name has been uttered, it has been claimed that Denis Suarez, Rafinha Alcantara and Ivan Rakitic could be sacrificed to keep the Ajax Amsterdam midfielder happy when he arrives for the 2019/20 campaign. The former two have not been the favourites of Ernesto Valverde but Rakitic definitely is.

Denis Suarez’s departure from the club is imminent and the former Manchester City midfielder could be headed to the Emirates Stadium. However, Unai Emery may have pulled the plug on signing the Spaniard who may not come short of offers during the summer when more suitors will be entering the transfer market. Denis has not kept his want of an exit a secret.

Rafinha has been ruled out until the end of this season so there is no way that he will be leaving the club in January. But the 25-year-old is more or less certain to move away from the Camp Nou, more so after the arrival of Frenkie de Jong. He has struggled to make an impact at Barcelona, and so he may be sold upon a mutual consent as well.

The sale of Rakitic is more difficult than it seems. Firstly, Bartomeu will have to convince Ernesto Valverde into selling Rakitic, because the former Bilbao manager is a big fan of the Croat. Rakitic recurs the love to the Barcelona manager as well, and he is a massive admirer of Barcelona too. But with his stock still high at 30, Barcelona is looking to sell him before it’s too late.

While Denis Suarez and Rafinha seem certain to depart by the start of next season at most, do you think Barcelona would be right to get rid of Ivan Rakitic?