Ajax starlet Frenkie De Jong have caught the eyes of Barcelona – Reports

Barcelona have initiated further talks regarding the transfer of Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong. The midfielder has been linked to a move away from Amsterdam and Ernesto Valverde’s side will go ‘all-in’ for him, reports Mundo Deportivo. Ali Durson, de Jong’s agent, has already held talks with Barcelona’s officials– Eric Abidal(technical secretary), Pep Segura(director of football), Robert Fernandez.

De Jong has made 37 appearances for the Eredivisie giants over the course of two seasons. He won the Jupiler League talent of the season accolade in 2016-17 for his sensational performances in midfield.

Barcelona are also in pursuit of Adrien Rabiot, Arthur Henrique and Steven Nzonzi in order to bolster their midfield, as they will be without the services of Andres Iniesta and Paulinho. However, they might be up against Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and arch-rivals Real Madrid in this transfer race.

Ajax are reluctant to sell the 21-year-old right now but Blaugrana are willing to wait till next summer too, according to the report. A bid of £40million could well change the minds of Ajax, albeit. On the flip side, de Jong desperately wants to play alongside his childhood obsession, Lionel Messi.

This obsession is something more than just a desire to play for the La Liga champions one day. 'We were on holiday in Spain and my grandad bought me a Messi shirt with the number '30' on the back, his shirt number at the time. My grandad knew that I liked Messi and I wore that shirt until it was too small for me.' He'd never pass up the opportunity to enjoy the little magician up close. 'Of course I'd love to play with him. He's 31 now, so I better hurry up,' said the youngster, expressing his love for Messi.

Having learned the fact that de Jong has his heart set on playing for Messi and co., Barcelona know they are favourites to sign him. Also to mention, his price tag shouldn’t really falter their approach as he is just 21 with good amounts of experience. Hence, they need to secure his signature without further fuss.