Barcelona Weigh Up Another Midfield Addition as Andre Gomes' Future Remains Uncertain

Barcelona are weighing up a move for further additions to their midfield ranks before the close of the window, with Ajax's Frenkie de Jong the leading candidate to be part of the club's next batch of future superstars. 

The 21-year-old caught the eye of the Catalan giants following an impressive 2017/18 campaign which yielded seven assists in 22 Eredivisie appearances, with Barcelona having already been knocked back on three occasions by Ajax director Marc Overmars. 

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Arturo Vidal's recent arrival at Camp Nou serves an immediate need for the Blaugrana following the departures of Paulinho and Andres Iniesta, which enables the club to pursue a deal for De Jong which would see him join next summer - as per Sport. 

Barcelona are confident that De Jong will be a member of the team sooner or later, with a future deal looking the most likely after Ajax signalled their openness to negotiations which would allow them to keep hold of the 21-year-old for another season. 

De Jong has shown an eagerness to make the switch to the Spanish giants, who are willing to part with €50m to secure his signature.

Manager Ernesto Valverde corroborated the reports after refusing to rule out any further transfers before the window closes at the end of the month.

"I am the coach, I do not have the key to close and open doors. We are Barça and we are open to improve our team. We have to be prepared for everything. All teams are open until the last day," he said, via AS. 

"We are making progress and it would be absurd to say that the market is closed. I do not know exactly what can happen. Last year, when I was giving the press conference in the last game of the tour, I found out that I had a lesser player."

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Furthermore, as Barcelona continue to search for new players it also means outgoings are being considered to reshape the team. And Andre Gomes is a player who is being tipped for the exit after being subject to interest from the Premier League - as per Ciutat Esportiva, via AS.

The 25-year-old has struggled to adapt to life at Camp Nou and could be forced to give way - should his valuation be met.