Barcelona completed the signing of De Jong from Ajax today, snubbing a move to PSG in favour of the Catalan giants in a massive £65million transfer deal.
The 21-year-old was previously on the radar of PSG, with Thomas Tuchel earmarking him as the ideal replacement for Adrien Rabiot, whose days at the Parc des Princes are numbered.
And Goal claim Barcelona decided to go all-in for De Jong because they could not bare the thought of PSG winning ANOTHER transfer battle.
Relations between the La Liga and Ligue 1 giants are far from smooth.
Back in the summer of 2017, Barcelona came calling at PSG’s door.
First they wanted Marco Verratti. Then it was club captain Thiago Silva. Then defensive prodigy Marquinhos.
A seething PSG then hit back.
The Ligue 1 champions stole Neymar, landing the Brazil international in a massive £200million deal.
And Goal claim that Barcelona did everything they could to stop PSG landing De Jong from under their noses.
However, that’s not the end of the drama.
The report also claims that Neymar IS keen to move back to Barcelona, 18 months after his controversial exit.
Whether they will be allowed to go at the end of the season, though, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Barcelona chief Josep Maria Bartomeu has taken to Twitter to laud De Jong’s signing.
“With the arrival of Frenkie De Jong we add talent, youth and Barca style to our sporting project,” he said.
“We are convinced that he will be a key part of our team for years to come.
“Welcome, Frenkie!”