Philippe Coutinho aware Barcelona pushing to wrap up €30m target’s signing in coming weeks

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Barcelona are reportedly keen to secure a deal which will see them sign Ajax youngster Frenkie de Jong ahead of next season.

The 21-year-old continues to impress for the Dutch giants, featuring as an ever-present in their starting line-up so far this season as they’ve made a positive start in the Eredivisie while qualifying for the Champions League group stage.

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As he continues to gain experience at the highest level, coupled with the technical quality that he boasts to seemingly be a perfect fit for the Barcelona style of play, there are plenty of reasons as to why De Jong could be seen as a legitimate long-term solution for the Barcelona midfield.

According to Don Balon, senior players in the Barca squad, including Philippe Coutinho, are aware that the La Liga champions are pushing to get a deal in place in the coming weeks which will see De Jong join them ahead of next season as they look to fend off stiff competition for his signature.

Coach Ernesto Valverde oversaw a reshuffle in midfield this past summer with Arthur and Arturo Vidal joining the club after Andres Iniesta and Paulinho departed.

In turn, adding another new face would have perhaps been risky in the same transfer window, coupled with the suggestion that Ajax had no intention of allowing the talented youngster to leave.

It follows on from a report by Mundo Deportivo which suggests that the Catalan giants failed with a possible offer of up to €30m to prise him away last month, with Tottenham also heavily linked.

With that in mind, it would seem to make sense that they are trying to move quickly to wrap up De Jong’s future signing ahead of the competition, as suggested by Don Balon, but time will tell if they’re successful in doing so as Ajax will surely want to keep hold of their young talent for as long as possible too.

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