Barcelona have reportedly told Frenkie de Jong that they need him to leave the Catalan club this summer after they agreed a fee of £63 million with Manchester United, according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail. There is an additional £8.5 million in add-ons agreed in the prospective deal.
De Jong, 25, is currently in a stand off with Barcelona due to the £17 million in deferred wages still owed to the player, which obviously needs to be paid before the player departs the club this summer, if that is what happens. You cannot blame him for standing tough on that.
Barcelona will need De Jong to leave the club this summer in order to register new players with a deal being struck for Raphinha of Leeds United. The Catalan club also want to sign Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea, Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Jules Kounde of Sevilla.
United’s chief executive officer Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough were in the Catalan city on Monday with an aim to agree a deal to sign the 25-year-old Netherlands international, which has been done – at least with his club.
It is suggested that personal terms will need to be agreed, which are going to be the trigger point in a potential deal to sign the midfielder. Erik ten Hag reportedly describes the player as the ‘conductor of the orchestra‘ seemingly putting him central to his plans for the Old Trafford club.
De Jong was reporter told earlier this week that he would need to take a considerable pay cut on his £5 million a year wages or leave – with seems to be the solution that the club wants. It has been reported by Marçal Lorente that De Jong will not be going on the USA tour with Barcelona.
Victor Lozano Nieto has also reported that Barcelona have told the Netherlands midfielder that he must leave the club this summer and Víctor Navarro has stated that there is ‘absolute pressure’ from Barcelona to get him to join United this summer.
If that did not happen, the Catalan club would not be able to register some of the players that they want to sign this summer. That would lead to resentment from the hierarchy of the club and both his teammates and the players potentially wanting to join Barcelona.
One player could bring the curtains down so to speak. Perhaps the 25-year-old is holding his position to ensure that he gets the money that he is owed from deferring his wages during the coronavirus pandemic? If he is owed the money, Barcelona should be made to pay it to him.
Written by John Walker
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