Barcelona chief Jordi Cruyff says selling Frenkie de Jong in January isn't an option.

Cruyff thinks that today it is no longer a necessary move and, furthermore, he is delighted with the performance of the Dutchman during the last weeks before the World Cup started.

He said, "Today this is not being talked about. In football there are moments and sometimes they are not defined solely by football issues... The fair play situation... Not everyone understands what it is, there are changes every week, but there are situations and decisions that are not just football things. But time has passed and he has an important role.

"There was the possibility (to sell) because good players are always wanted by good teams, it works like that. The reality is that he is here and he is playing an important role."

Asked about De Jong's claims of some at Barca pressuring him to leave, Cruyff also stated: "It is not a matter of alluded to or not, the players have their feelings, the clubs have theirs and some talk and you come to a common topic. The reality is that Frenkie has stayed, he is a loved player, people expect a lot from him because he is very talented and a slightly different player.

"These are market moments and it's no longer with Frenkie, but with everyone, there is a fair play rule and the consequences of not complying with it are enormous and there are calculations that have nothing to do with what happens on the pitch. It is an accumulation of things and you do some calculations. There is no other way. Fair play forces you to make decisions."