Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre is proud of the work the club did in signing Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

The 21-year-old was closely followed by Manchester City and PSG but he signed a five-year deal with Barcelona last month which will begin from the summer.

Speaking to SPORT, Mestre is proud the club managed to convince De Jong to join Barcelona, despite more money on offer from other clubs.

He said, “We knew that De Jong was a very popular player, there were a lot of clubs that wanted to attract him, the same was true for Jean-Clair Todibo, and in Barcelona we cannot compete financially with clubs like Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City. We have to convince players in a different way.

“Although De Jong told us that he always wanted to play at Barcelona, ​​it is true that offers from other clubs have made him doubt, which is normal, he is only a human being.

“If it had only been for the money, De Jong would not have signed for Barcelona. Then we would have lost the battle, which is why I am so proud and can say that capturing De Jong is a great success for the whole club.”

Barcelona will pay Ajax a fee of €86 million for De Jong.




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