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It has been a very busy winter transfer window so far with European elite clubs wasting no time in sealing smart deals as they continue to reinforce their respective squads with the aim to compete on all fronts during the current campaign.
La Liga giants Barcelona have been one of the most active clubs in the market this winter. On Monday, the Blaugrana welcomed former Sassuolo attacker Kevin-Prince Boateng to the Nou Camp, and just two days after the announcement, they came to the spotlight once again, splashing a mammoth £65 million to secure the signing of highly-rated Ajax starlet, Frenkie de Jong.
Following numerous exceptional performances at the Amsterdam Arena, de Jong attracted interest from many big teams across the continent and Barcelona were made to fight really hard to lure the Dutch International to the Catalan capital.
While de Jong will be lining up at Nou Camp very soon, it should not be forgotten that there were many clubs who were really interested in recruiting him. We take a look at 3 clubs Barcelona defeated on their way to signing the young midfielder:
#3 Bayern Munich
Frenkie de Jong is one of the most impressive young midfielders in European football at the moment and it comes as no surprise that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich were also interested in signing him this winter.
The Bavarians joined a host of other European powerhouses in the chase for the Ajax starlet who they viewed as a decent option to strengthen their squad in the center of the park. But, they came in a bit late and allowed their counterparts to move ahead in the race for the midfielder.
Despite their Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic revealing the club's desire to lure the Dutch youngster to the Allianz Arena, they ended up missing out on the playmaker who decided to follow the footsteps of Dutch legends like Johan Cruyff, Patrick Kluivert and Ronald Koeman by joining Catalan giants, FC Barcelona.
#2 Manchester City
With the announcement that Barcelona have wrapped up a deal for the talented midfielder, Frenkie de Jong will be lining up at the Nou Camp starting from next season but the midfielder could have found himself in the English Premier League instead, had things worked in the favor of Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard is a big fan of the Ajax sensation due to his immense technical abilities and incredible style of play, and he was keen to lure him to the Etihad Stadium this winter, with the player himself confirming that he spoke with the former Bayern Munich tactician recently.
But just like other suitors, Manchester City also missed out on the talented prodigy, as La Liga champions FC Barcelona raced ahead of everyone to secure the signature of the teenager who signed a 5-year deal with the Blaugrana with a mammoth £65 million transfer fee.
#1 Paris Saint Germain
Before his Barca deal, Frenkie de Jong was one of the most sought players in the transfer market this winter. Another club that also put in a great effort to sign the 21-year-old from Ajax this January is Paris Saint-Germain.
The suspension handed out to midfielder Adrien Rabiot, coupled with a serious ankle injury sustained to Marco Verratti left the Parisians short of options in the middle of the pitch and they saw de Jong as a great option to fill in the void in that department.
The French champions intensified their pursuit of the Ajax midfielder at some point this winter, with rumors initially suggesting that they had reached an agreement with the youngster.
However, de Jong refused to move to the French capital, opting to join FC Barcelona instead and landing a massive blow to Thomas Tuchel's men.
