Barcelona told De Jong three midfielders would be leaving (El Chiringuito)

Barcelona reportedly helped convince Frenkie de Jong to make the move to the Camp Nou by promising him three midfielders will depart in the summer.

De Jong was apparently concerned about a lack of game time if he moved to Barcelona, and the Catalan giants offered him some insight into their transfer plans, according to Quim Domènech on ‘El Chiringuito’.

Apparently the three players who are being tipped to leave are Ivan Rakitic, Denis Suarez and Rafinha.

There’s been plenty of speculation over Denis already in January. He seems keen on a move to Arsenal, but Unai Emery has admitted Arsenal are only interested in loans in this transfer window.

Denis has barely played this season and a departure looks inevitable, the same could be said for Rafinha. The Brazilian did see some game time earlier in this campaign before another serious injury ruled him out once again. Finding a buyer may not be easy though.

There was also a bit of speculation earlier in the season about Rakitic. PSG were rumored to be interested in activating his release clause, but having lost De Jong to Barcelona you suspect they may no longer fancy handing over a big chunk of cash to the Catalans.

There’s also plenty of other players’ futures that Barcelona need to consider. Andre Gomes is currently on loan at Everton and seems to be enjoying himself in the Premier League, while Sergi Samper remains in the first-team squad and his contract expires at the end of the season.

Competition for places in the Barcelona midfield is fierce already, and may get even more so with Riqui Puig and Oriol Busquets hoping to make the step up, and it’s pretty obvious some departures will be needed at the end of the season.