Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement to secure the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. The Netherlands international had been the subject of a bidding battle involving the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain but the Blaugrana eventually won his services after agreeing on an initial €75m fee.

“FC Barcelona and Ajax have reached an agreement for the transfer of midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who will be joining the Catalan club from 1 July 2019. The cost of the transfer operation is 75 million euros, plus a further 11 million in variables. The player will be signing a contract for the next five seasons, through to 2023/24. The president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the CEO ÒscarGrau were personally involved in closing the deal in Amsterdam,” read a statement on the club’s website.

De Jong has been widely regarded as one of the best upcoming Dutch midfielders and his progress over the past year had caught the eye of Europe’s elite. However, Barcelona managed to ward off the competition by expressing their interest in advance and they have now finalised an agreement suitable for both parties, given the midfielder would be remaining with Ajax for the season before joining them.

Elsewhere, Barcelona have announced the shock capture of Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo. The former Ghana international has not been overly impressive over the past few seasons but he has nonetheless got the big chance with the Blaugrana opting to sign a marksman, who can provide the much-needed back-up behind Luis Suarez.

The Blaugrana have experienced a rather mixed league campaign by their standards but they are still holding a five-point gap at the top of the standings. They switch their focus to Copa del Rey action later tonight where they face Sevilla on the road in the first leg.