Hansi Flick: “I spoke with Casadó. He wants to stay, and I want him to stay.”

Hansi Flick's arrival changed Frenkie de Jong's game. The manager not only recovered the Dutch midfielder's best form, but also protected him from the internal struggle he was having with the board. The coach had an ally: Deco. "One of Deco's first decisions as head of sporting management was to try to renew Frenkie's contract," they report in Sant Joan Despí. He didn't succeed. However, after settling old grudges with Laporta and company—in which he had felt he was being singled out by the Board: " We don't like his numbers, neither on the pitch nor in the offices, " one director complained, referring to his high salary and low goal-scoring potential—De Jong made peace with the club, always with Deco as a bridge.

"I want to stay, and the club wants me to stay," De Jong emphasized at the end of last season . However, his renewal is still up in the air, with his contract expiring next June. But to expedite the signing, De Jong has already made the decision the club wanted: changing agents. "Now that we have a contact, we've sent him the first renewal proposal," the sporting directors assure. However, they don't expect the Dutchman's new contract to be finalized before the end of the transfer window. "We're in no rush. We're calm; Frenkie is an important player for Flick and for the club," the same sources conclude.

Flick still doesn't know if De Jong will be available for this Saturday's match against Levante in Valencia. The Dutchman hasn't trained regularly for the past week, awaiting the birth of his second child. Finally, in the early hours of Friday morning, De Jong became a father . Tired, in the last Barça training session before traveling to Valencia, he worked separately from his teammates. "You know I don't talk much about who will start, and I won't today either. Frenkie is always ready to start, but today I don't want to talk about that."

With De Jong doubtful for the starting lineup, Flick is considering two options to replace him: Gavi and Casadó. And he discussed this in his last training session. A starting spot would be good news for Casadó, who, with offers from the Premier League and France, is mulling his future. “I've spoken with Marc. He doesn't want to leave, and I want him to stay. It will be a difficult season, and we need all the players we have now. He gives us confidence, and that's what I want. It's not easy for the coach, but we need all the players,” Flick noted.

In the sporting department, however, they have a different perspective. “Hansi is short-sighted, and we are long-sighted. We think long-term. If they offer us 30 million for Marc , it's a good market option,” they maintain. According to them, Bernal could establish himself as De Jong's replacement. However, they first need to secure the Dutchman's continuity, as he is doubtful for the match against Levante. “They're a team with a good defense and also very good transitions. When they win the ball back, they're very fast, and we'll have to be very careful; that's what I've shown the players,” Flick concluded.