Barcelona could reportedly be forced to pay £44m to sign Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

In May, it was claimed that Barcelona would wait until the summer of 2019 to sign the 21-year-old, who scored once and registered nine assists in 26 appearances for Ajax last term.

However, the Catalan outfit are now believed to be keen to push through a deal ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish champions seek to tie up the deal as soon as possible, and are confident that De Jong will reject interest from elsewhere to move to Camp Nou.

However, the same report claims that Ajax could hold out for as much as £44m for the talented Dutchman.

Barcelona have lost midfielder Paulinho this summer, but fellow Brazilian Arthur has joined the club.