Barcelona: De Jong may be out over 4 months; club eyes injury exception to free salary space

Published Jul 23, 02:10 PM UTC

According to Diario Sport, Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong may be sidelined for over four months due to a knee injury sustained during the World Cup. The club is awaiting final diagnosis after his vacation but is pessimistic. If confirmed serious, Barcelona plans to process a long-term injury leave to free up salary space for registering other players, requiring De Jong's consent. Barcelona is dissatisfied with how the Dutch national team and De Jong handled the injury, believing it could have been avoided. FIFA may compensate Barcelona over 2 million euros. The club does not plan to sign a new midfielder, instead promoting youth player Marc Bernal as the replacement. De Jong's injury is a blow to new coach Hansi Flick's plans. Barcelona also seeks to clarify the injury's cause and may accelerate the transfer of youth player Marc Casadó.