Barcelona president Joan Laporta has denied rumours that Frenkie de Jong was asked to accept a pay cut due to the club’s financial difficulties.
It was discovered that the La Liga powerhouses owed the player deferral money from a deal made during the pandemic during Manchester United’s pursuit of the midfielder over the summer. By this point, United and Barcelona had shaken hands on an agreement in principle for De Jong.
But as the window stretched on, the deal collapsed at the last moment. Barcelona was selling off club assets to pay for the transfers of players like Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski despite having the chance to cash in on the £56 million deal for the Dutchman.
The Blaugrana is still trying to persuade Frenkie de Jong to take a pay cut. Since the transfer window, the Spanish giants have been pressuring the Dutch international to agree on a new contract with a lower salary.
However, Laporta has denied attempting to pressure the playmaker or any other team member to take a pay cut. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, the president said:
“We’ve received many bids from the Premier League for Frenkie, big money – but we decided to keep a quality player like [De Jong]. We’ve never forced any player to reduce his salary, we’ve just asked in [a specific] way.”
The Dutch star will earn a gross salary of €37.5 million this season under his current contract, making him the second-highest-paid player in La Liga.
De Jong signed his current contract before Laporta assumed control of the team. Barca had intended to pursue legal action, asserting that the player’s contract was unlawful, but has recently chosen to persuade the player to accept a pay reduction.
United and Barcelona had agreed to a deal for de Jong, and the Blaugrana were eager to offload the player. De Jong’s refusal to play for the English team put him at odds with Barcelona’s management and coach.
