Frenkie de Jong is refusing to undergo surgery on his ankle injury because Barcelona doctors could not confirm it would fix his issue, former presidential candidate Victor Font has claimed.

De Jong has been sidelined since April with an ankle injury that is proving increasingly concerning behind the scenes at Camp Nou. Reports claim Barcelona officials have warned the Dutchman he must undergo surgery soon, yet De Jong remains without a concrete return date.

In a recent media appearance, Font claimed to have spoken directly with De Jong, who explained why he has not accepted Barcelona’s push for surgery.

“I met him by chance and he told me that he prefers not to have surgery, that although the club has proposed it to him, they do not give him guarantees of success,” said Font, who fell short to Joan Laporta in the presidential elections in 2021.

“It is a complicated position and you have to be understanding with the player, you have to support him. The squad is super short and the ideal is for all the injured players to return as soon as possible.”

Font has rarely passed up on the opportunity to criticise Laporta’s presidency and attacked the club’s handling of De Jong, Vitor Roque and Ilkay Gundogan in a wide-ranging speech which even saw Laporta accused of lying about the pursuit of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.

“They tricked us with that,” Font said. “They pulled a fast one on us with Nico Williams.

“At first, they were all about him, but then they went quiet on the details. When I pointed out that we couldn’t afford it, people didn’t believe me. They bought into the club’s narrative. Now, no one believes the club anymore.”

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