Al-Ittihad executives had previously tried to persuade Frenkie de Jong to move to Saudi Arabia, but the player was keen to stay at the Azulgrana.
Al-Ittihad technical secretary Ramon Planes has revealed he spoke to Frenkie de Jong when Barcelona travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de Espana to convince the 27-year-old midfielder to join the club, but the player wants to stay at the Blaugrana, as reported by Ufabet Sport on Wednesday.
‘There have been frequent discussions to find เล่นเกมคาสิโน UFABET ทันสมัย ฝากถอนง่าย out what the market is like. He is very happy in Barcelona, he has settled in well and it is difficult for a player if everything is going well to go to a better team than Barca. I always have to ask about the player and the possibilities in the market,’ Planes said of the attempts to approach Frenkie.
Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad have successfully signed 19-year-old midfielder Unai Hernandez from Barcelona for an initial fee of €4.5m plus €500,000 in bonuses, with talks taking place shortly.
‘It was an easy negotiation, all parties understood the situation. This is a very important step for him,’ Planes said.
Reflecting on his time at Barcelona, Planes highlighted his commitment to bringing in and developing key players such as Pedri and Ronald Araujo.
He acknowledged that his tenure came during a challenging period for the club, but he took pride in recognising the potential of these players.
Pedri has since become a central figure in Barcelona’s midfield, while Araujo has established himself as a defensive powerhouse.