Luis Garcia claimed Frenkie de Jong was Barcelona's best player in an otherwise dreadful 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday - while Spanish media asked: 'Where has this player been the last three years?'
Manchester United made the Holland midfielder their No 1 target in the transfer window this summer while Chelsea is also interested in a move.
Barcelona wants to offload the 25-year-old to balance the books and have enough room in its budget to register new defender Jules Kounde but De Jong appears to want to stay.