Barcelona’s €80 million-rated superstar is ‘irreplaceable’ for Xavi – report

Last night saw Barcelona get past Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, securing a come-from-behind 3-1 victory courtesy of goals from Ferran Torres, Jules Kounde, and Alejandro Balde.

Given that they were playing a team from the third-division side, manager Xavi Hernandez opted to rest some of his heavy-hitters at Estadio Municipal Reina Sofia.

Indeed, the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, and Pedri were given a breather by the manager against Salamanca.

Frenkie de Jong is irreplaceable for Xavi

But one regular who was retained in the starting lineup by the manager for Unionistas against Barcelona was midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

And SPORT’s Nacho Jimenez writes that the Netherlands international, whose market value stands at €80 million, is seen as an ‘irreplaceable’ by the Blaugrana boss.

It was a special game for the 26-year-old as he made his 200th appearance for Barcelona and did a fine job in the middle of the park, as is the norm more often than not.

Since returning from his ankle injury in November, De Jong has played 90 minutes in all of Barça’s matches in all competitions, barring the ones against Almeria (suspension) and Royal Antwerp (fever), indicating the trust that Xavi places in him.

There was a time not very long ago that Barcelona were considering selling him, but he is one of Xavi’s most trusted players and a club captain.

And even though some reports suggest that the club might look to part ways with him as a last resort to boost finances, it appears extremely unlikely that the Catalans would go down that route.