Reports: Real Madrid to hijack Barcelona's top target

What’s the rumour?

Barcelona have long been linked with Ajax's Frenkie de Jong, who has also caught the eye of several other European top dogs.

However, a report from OK Diario now claims that Real Madrid have also entered the fray and might even make a move to hijack Barca's target. Nevertheless, if the aforementioned report is to be believed, it will be a tough transfer to pull off since the Dutch midfielder is under contract with Ajax until 2022.

In case you didn't know...

De Jong shot to fame last season when he made 22 league appearances for Ajax, during which, he engineered 8 assists. The 21-year-old has also starred in all four of The Lancers' league games this season and even earned his first international call-up for the UEFA Nations League's fixtures owing to his impressive showings.

De Jong remained a hot property throughout the transfer window this past summer and has already turned the heads of a number of high-profile clubs including the likes of Barcelona, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and AS Roma.

As per reports, Spurs even launched a bid worth €50 million (£45m) which was repudiated by the Eredivisie outfit.

The heart of the matter

One of the most exciting prospects in world football, De Jong's ideal berth is the defensive midfield he can also play as a centre-back by virtue of his versatility.

With regard to his future at the Johan Cruijff Arena, he issued the following statements in June:

I leave that to my agent. I do not know if he is working on it. Maybe, maybe not.

Of course you can never promise that as a footballer.

There may be a club tomorrow that offers so much that you are away. But as it stands, I play at Ajax.

Rumour probability/rating: 6/10

Some other news outlets have also confirmed Real's interest in Frenkie De Jong.

Video

What's next?

If the Spanish giants are truly eager to land De Jong, they will have to offer an astronomical sum in exchange for his services next summer.