Barcelona have been frantically attempting to accelerate their transfer activity over the past week in trying to offload their star midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who apparently has his own strong reasons for not wanting to leave the club.
Having been at the club for three years and being a permanent fixture in the side when fit and available, the 25-year-old has been pretty comfortable at Camp Nou despite having failed to hit the heights expected of him after the Catalans splashed €86 million to sign him from Ajax. Yet that being said, he still turned in a decent account of himself on the pitch.
A move to Manchester United has been touted this summer, with the Red Devils and Barcelona supposedly having reached an €85-million deal. Yet, remarkably, the Dutchman is adamant in refusing to leave the Blaugrana at this point in time.
It is no secret that the Netherlands international is owed a large sum by the club in deferred wage payments. The offer Manchester United have reportedly tabled does not account for it, at the same time the lack of Champions League football is a major issue.
But both clubs remain intent on seeing the deal through. For Barça, selling de Jong is more due to an economic reason than a sporting issue. Despite manager Xavi believing that Bernardo Silva can be a better fit in his plans, he still admires de Jong.
However, selling him this summer would help the club in their battle against La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules by freeing up around €30-35 million on their salary bill, which would go a long way in helping the club register new signings, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Hence, Xavi is not opposed to sanctioning the midfielder’s sale. But, as things stand, the 25-year-old continues to hold firm that he does not wish to leave Camp Nou.
De Jong staying at the club could lead to issues with Financial Fair Play, which the Blaugrana would have to address by selling other players or imposing wage cuts.
There has been a lot of talk about the former Ajax ace being asked to reduce his wages if he wishes to continue as a Barcelona player. However, the report clarifies that the Catalans have not made requests of that nature to the player.
With Manchester United already raising their hackles and running out of patience over the deal, it remains to be seen how things progress in the coming days.