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La Liga
Frenkie de Jong faces over four months on the sidelines after tearing a knee ligament during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leaving FC Barcelona without their star midfielder for the start of the La Liga season. The club plans to activate a long-term absence clause and has ruled out signing a replacement.
Frenkie de Jong is staring down the barrel of a brutal four-month absence after FC Barcelona confirmed the Dutch international tore the internal ligament in his right knee during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The midfielder reportedly played through pain in the Netherlands' final matches of the tournament, a decision that has now backfired spectacularly for both player and club.
After returning to Barcelona, De Jong cut his holiday short to visit the club's sports city for a full medical assessment. The results were worse than anyone hoped: the injury is more severe than initially feared, and the 29-year-old faces a recovery timeline that stretches well beyond four months. That means Barcelona will be without one of their most technically gifted midfielders for the entire opening stretch of the 2025-26 La Liga season.
Here is where it gets interesting from a squad-building perspective. Barcelona are preparing to activate the long-term absence option if it is confirmed that De Jong will not be fit before December. That is not just a medical formality; it is a financial lever. De Jong's salary is among the highest at the club, and his absence frees up wage space that could prove crucial for registering other players ahead of the new campaign.
On top of that, FIFA will provide compensation to Barcelona that could exceed two million euros for a tournament-related injury. The club can also claim a portion of De Jong's wages during his rehabilitation. In a world where Barcelona's financial gymnastics are constantly under the microscope, this situation creates unexpected breathing room.
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising element of this saga is Barcelona's response (or lack of one) in the transfer market. Despite losing De Jong for several months, the club has no plans to sign a replacement midfielder. The rationale? They believe the position is well covered and want to give opportunities to players already in the squad.
Marc Bernal is viewed as the key alternative, a young talent who now has a clear runway to stake his claim in the first team. Meanwhile, Barcelona insist that De Jong's injury will not change their stance on Marc Casadó. The club continues to evaluate offers for the La Masia academy product, suggesting his future remains uncertain regardless of the midfield hole De Jong leaves behind.
De Jong is expected to return to Barcelona's training facility this week, but only for individual rehabilitation work. He will not join group sessions and will not travel with the squad to their pre-season camp in England. For a player who has battled fitness concerns in recent seasons, this latest setback raises legitimate questions about his long-term durability at the elite level.
For Barcelona, the early-season challenge is real. Navigating La Liga, the Champions League, and domestic cup competitions without De Jong puts enormous pressure on Hansi Flick's midfield depth. Whether the decision to stand pat in the transfer window looks brave or reckless will depend entirely on how Bernal and the rest of the midfield corps perform under the spotlight.
One thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the margin for error just got thinner at Camp Nou.
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