Barcelona Reportedly Confident of Frenkie de Jong Deal Amid Real Madrid Rumours

Barcelona reportedly remain confident they are in the box seat to sign Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong following recent links to Real Madrid.

It was reported by De Telegraaf (h/t Dutch football journalist Elko Born) earlier in the week that Los Blancos are willing to part with a staggering €80 million (£72 million) to sign the Netherlands international. Manchester United were also said to be following the development of the player.

Despite this supposed high-profile interest, Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal) said the Blaugrana are not worried about missing out on the Ajax prodigy.

According to Mundo Deportivo, a deal for €80 million may be agreed between the Catalan giants and Ajax in January, with De Jong staying at the Amsterdam Arena on loan for the remainder of the season. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be interested in De Jong.

The future of De Jong appears set to be one of the transfer stories of the season as his recent performances have fuelled excitement about what he can potentially accomplish in the game.

Football statistician Simon Gleave believes he can go a long way, although he thinks some of the hype surrounding the youngster may be a little over the top:

The 21-year-old is already an established figure in the Ajax team, excelling in both the centre of defence and midfield, and he recently earned his first call-up to Ronald Koeman's Netherlands squad. It's not anticipated this upward trajectory will slow down any time soon.

De Jong's most striking attributes are technical. He looks natural with the ball at his feet, as he's able to dribble away from pressing defenders or find gaps to thread passes through. It's those abilities that have led many to believe he'd be a natural fit for a team like Barcelona.

In addition, De Jong has shown he enjoys a battle out on the field: 

At 21, there is still plenty for De Jong to learn at the top level, especially when it comes to playing at the hub of a team.

Having been deployed primarily as a defender in 2017-18, he's been used in central midfield for Ajax and the Netherlands this season. That role brings more creative responsibility and a necessity to be dynamic in his passing.

At Ajax, he's getting the game time needed to refine and enhance those qualities, per Scouted Football:

It's why a possible loan back to the Eredivisie would make sense if Barca signed the player in January. At the moment, it's difficult to see De Jong, for all his promise, ousting the likes of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho, Arthur and Arturo Vidal from the XI.

Barcelona should probably brace themselves for competition for the player, though, as a talent like De Jong is not someone Europe's elite will want to miss out on.