Barcelona have announced the signing of Frenkie de Jong for an initial €75million, the Ajax midfielder set to join on a five-year deal for the start of the 2019-20 season.
Previously linked with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, De Jong has opted for Camp Nou but will remain in the Eredivisie for the rest of the campaign.
Barca have agreed to pay a potential €11m in variables for the 21-year-old midfielder, who has helped Ajax reach the last 16 of the Champions League this term.
De Jong has developed into one of the hottest talents in European football and it is Barca who have won the race for his signature.
‘With the arrival of Frenkie de Jong we add talent, youth and Barca style to our sporting project,’ wrote club president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Twitter.
‘We are convinced that he will be a key part of our team for years to come. Welcome, Frenkie!’
Barca have a strong history of Dutch players, with icons such as Johan Cruyff and Ronald Koeman having represented the Catalan club.
De Jong will also join a fellow Netherlands international at Camp Nou, with Jasper Cillessen – who also moved to Barca from Ajax – already on the club’s books.
De Jong told Fox Sports recently he wanted clarity over his future, with City, Madrid and PSG all reportedly keen to snap him up.
‘I’m not going to make a hasty decision, but I’d like to be clear about it myself pretty quickly,” he said. “I do not know if I’ll make it known to the public.’
De Jong had also hinted Barca would not necessarily be his next club when he added: “When I was in Barcelona, people thought I would join them, but that’s not the case.
‘Everyone knows that I think Barcelona is a beautiful club, but I don’t know if I should see my career as a city trip.’
De Jong becomes the third major Barca signing of the transfer window following the arrivals of Jeison Murillo and Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Valencia and Sassuolo respectively.
Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, 19, has also been linked with a switch to LaLiga’s reigning champions.