Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong has revealed Barcelona instructed him to “try hard to eliminate Real Madrid” from the Champions League.
Central midfielder de Jong has agreed to join Barcelona this summer in an €86m from the Dutch giants but will face Los Blancos in the return leg of the Round of 16.
“When I signed my contract with Barcelona, they told me to try my hard to eliminate Real Madrid,” de Jong told De Telegraaf, as cited by Diario AS.
“It would be a fantastic achievement for us for sure, it would generate shockwaves in world football and put Ajax back in the mind of everyone at the top level of football.
“Madrid of course are big favourites, especially having won the game in Amsterdam, and have won this competition four times in the past five years.
“We know we will have to be on our game, we know we will have to take our chances but we believe in ourselves – everyone in the Netherlands believes we will progress.”
