Getty Luuk de Jong trains with Barcelona ahead of UCL match.
Barcelona striker Luuk de Jong is in a “very difficult situation” at the Camp Nou following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman as coach and the arrival of Xavi as the club’s new manager, according to Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal.
Koeman specifically asked Barca to bring in De Jong, after working with the striker for the Dutch national team, but he looks to have no future at the club now his compatriot has departed.
De Jong has struggled for game time at Barcelona this season, managing just two starts in La Liga despite injuries to fellow attackers Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero, and Martin Braithwaite.
He’s also been left out of the latest Netherlands squad, and coach Van Gaal spoke about the striker’s situation at a press conference, as reported by Football Oranje.
“He is in a very difficult situation at Barcelona. You’ve seen all that. I think you’d better be at the club to get to know the new coach and get in good shape. You have to be that first to be chosen,” he said. “As a pinch hitter, you have to have the feeling in your brain that you can score a goal at any moment. I have not seen that with Luuk de Jong at Barcelona.”
De Jong only arrived on a season-long loan from Sevilla in September 2021 but Barcelona have already decided they will try to offload the 31-year-old in the January transfer window, as reported by Diario Sport.
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Xavi Wants Rid Of ‘Toxic’ Barcelona Duo
The Dutch striker is not the only player being tipped to depart following the arrival of Xavi as boss. The 41-year-old has also prioritized offloading “toxic” duo Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti, as reported by Sport Witness.
Xavi is keen to “change the whole ethos around the club” and “bring back some of that Barcelona DNA he embodied so well.” He’s also trying to increase the team’s intensity in training sessions and out on the pitch to get the best out of his players.
Both Coutinho and Umtiti have fallen way down the pecking order at the Camp Nou and are regularly linked with exits. However, Barca have so far struggled to find buyers and it won’t be easy offloading either in January.
Rumor Mill Gets Busy After Xavi Arrival
Xavi’s arrival has also seen plenty of speculation about which players could arrive at the Camp Nou in the January transfer windolw. The new Barca coach is said to “dream” of signing Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, while speculation that Raheem Sterling could move to Barca refuses to go away.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola addressed the Sterling rumors after seeing Xavi presented as Barcelona’s new coach, as reported by Joe Bray at the Manchester Evening News.
“Honestly I have no idea. I don’t know anything. Not that I would tell you anyway,” he told reporters,” he said. “If Barcelona are interested in any of our players, I am convinced that they can get them. Barca continues to be an attractive club, more than attractive. The city, the club, the history and this for the trainers, for the players always seduces a lot.”
Sterling is not the only City winger being linked with Barca, according to Diario Sport. Riyad Mahrez is also said to be on the Catalan giants’s radar as he is not happy with his current role with the Premier League champions.
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