Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona has been the subject of rumours, although club president Joan Laporta has stated publicly that the midfielder will not be sold.
The Dutch midfielder is allegedly moving to Manchester United this summer, and numerous media outlets have already reported that a price has been set.
Laporta, though, spoke out strongly about the circumstance and made it obvious that Barcelona wanted to hang onto the 25-year-old.
One of the reasons Barca is apparently eager to sell De Jong is because his salary is expected to rise dramatically next season. Laporta acknowledged that he might have to accept a wage cut to stay.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Barcelona president said: “I am going to do what is in my power to that Frenkie stays but it is also a salary issue and it would have to be adjusted. There are many clubs that want him, not just Man United. We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay”
Barça president Laporta on de Jong: “There are many clubs that want him, not just Man United. We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay”. 🚨 #FCB
“I'm going to do everything to keep Frenkie, but there’s also a salary issue and that would have to be adjusted”. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/zG4mmo6Rfj
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 2, 2022
Frenkie de Jong has already stated that he does not want to leave this summer, and Laporta’s remarks now imply that he may stay at Camp Nou for the remainder of the upcoming season.
Manchester United have already agreed to a fee of around £65m and now they working on deciding on the rest of £20m in add-ons.
As things stand, Manchester United will try to accelerate deals for players this month to avoid last-minute signings. Tyrell Malacia has already signed a deal with the club and now Lisandro Martinez could be the next target to head in.
However, United needs to sort out the De Jong transfer situation to make sure that they put on their focus on the remaining targets.
