Ernesto Valverde Criticises Pep Guardiola After Frenkie de Jong Revelation

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has criticised Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for holding talks with Frenkie de Jong.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that De Jong would join Barcelona at the end of the campaign, opting to move to the Camp Nou over the Premier League outfit and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ajax star told NOS (h/t Joe Shread of Sky Sports) that he spoke with PSG and directly with Guardiola about a possible switch to City. When asked about the call, Valverde was critical of the practice, per Sky Sports:

"You can't call a player who already has a contract. It isn't my code of conduct to call a player who is under contract with another club. If I do it, I won't say it. If the player says it then it is his problem.

"I have nothing to say about it. Everybody has a different way of doing things. This club acts in a certain way. And I have nothing to say about it."

Given the interest in De Jong from some of Europe's elite teams, Barcelona will feel as though they have secured something of a coup in getting the Netherlands international on board.

Guardiola was seemingly desperate to bring him in too, although when asked about City's failure to sign De Jong, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager told reporters it's "almost impossible" for his club to sign players for a reasonable sum.

That's despite City spending big money on the squad since Guardiola's arrival in the summer of 2016, as Sky Bet relayed:

Sam Lee of Goal said that while City's policy on transfers should work in principle, in practice it's meant they have missed out on some star names:

Valverde clearly isn't pleased with the manner in which City went about their pursuit of the Ajax man, and with that in mind, they will be doubly delighted to have secured the 21-year-old.

The youngster's development has been exciting to track, as he's excelled for the Amsterdam giants at centre-back and, more recently, in a midfield berth. De Jong is a gifted footballer with an eye for a pass and a tremendous understanding of the game.

Per OptaJohan, De Jong looks after the ball as well as any player in the Eredivisie:

Despite Guardiola's best efforts, City missed out on a tyro who would have been ideal for their setup, and the club will need to explore a different option in order to improve the midfield. The manager said earlier in January that City have "three or four" midfield targets, per Lee.

While they have a number of creative players who can operate centrally, aside from Fernandinho, they don't possess a senior option who's defensively minded or who can sit deep. De Jong would have been an ideal understudy or rival for the Brazilian.