In a huge blow to Manchester United in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona president has revealed that the midfielder could end up staying at the club.
This comes as a major disappointment for United since they have already reached a €75m plus €10m add-ons agreement with the Catalans for De Jong.
However, the Red Devils have been constantly facing rejection from the Dutch midfielder over agreeing personal terms. De Jong doesn’t fancy a move to Old Trafford, even if it means a reunion with his former coach Erik ten Hag.
Further on, in a huge revelation Barcelona owe De Jong €20 million in wages which is one of the major reasons of him staying put at the club.
While there have been rumours claiming the Catalans ‘pressurizing’ De Jong to take a pay-cut, Laporta in his recent interview has dismissed all of them.
‘..Then he will continue’ says Laporta of Frenkie de Jong
The Barcelona president has not denied the reports of the club asking Frenkie de Jong to take a pay-cut to resolve the €20 million wages issue.
However, Laporta has stated that they are not forcing a pay-cut on the midfielder in order to drive him out of the club.
He further assured that Barcelona will respect De Jong’s decision and that he will continue at the club being an important part of Xavi’s plans.
In his interview to CBSSportsGolazo Laporta said, “What happens if Frenkie de Jong doesn’t take a pay cut and just stays at Barça? Then he will continue, he’s under contract. We will respect that decision. We count on him.
The President also clarified that they are not pressurizing any of the club’s players to reduce their salaries in order to register the new signings. “There is no extortion being used on de Jong or anyone else,” said Laporta.
Nonetheless, there are reports still coming out of Camp Nou that the club officials are negotiating with De Jong’s agent to agree on a pay-cut.
Frenkie de Jong on the other hand, has been firm on his decision of neither accepting a move to United nor taking a significant wage-cut to stay at Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Xavi too has given mixed reactions on Frenkie de Jong’s future at the club. “I already spoke with Frenkie, I value him very much. He’s a key player, but then there’s economic situation and Financial Fair Play,” said Xavi last week.