Xavi: "De Jong is the present and future of Barcelona" | Israel today

Barcelona coach Xavi says Frankie de Jong remains a key part of his long-term plans despite reports linking him to a summer move from Camp Nou.

Manchester United are showing interest in De Jong following the appointment of brother Eric Tenn, his former coach at Ajax, while Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have also been linked to his name.

Xavi insists the future of the Dutchman is in Barcelona.

"He has to be a player who makes the difference and he makes the difference," Xavi said at a press conference ahead of tonight's game (22:00) against Mallorca.

"There are not many players with his quality in the world. He is the present and the future at Barça. He is a very important player for me. He has had some excellent games, but he must be consistent."

The 24-year-old De Jong has completed 90 minutes just twice in Barça's last 10 games, and was nervous after 60 minutes in the loss to Rayo Vallecano, which further sparked rumors of a summer departure.

"We had a face-to-face conversation this week and it went well," Xavi said.

"Obviously the replacement frustrates him, but I have to worry about the team."

Meanwhile, Enso Patti is set to return to the Blaugrana squad today after three months out following a hamstring injury.

"He is on the roster and if everything goes as planned, he will play for at least a few minutes," Xavi added.

"He is happy to be back and I am happy to have him back because he is a player who can make a difference. He is special. He can play on the wing or as number 9. He scores goals and he should be close to the field."

Pedry, Nico and Sergei Roberto will continue to be absent as Gerard Pique also doubts a tendon problem he has been dealing with for several months.

A fitness test will also be held for Osman Dembele, who suffered from tonsillitis, while Oscar Mingsa and Martin Breitweit are positive for Corona.

Barça hope to end a streak of three consecutive losses at the Camp Nou when a win will put them back in second place in the table ahead of Sevilla.

Were we wrong?

Fixed!

If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us