Surajit Das
Transfer News: Manchester United face Frenkie de Jong problem because of Barcelona’s arrears
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), due to the outrageous sum of money Barcelona owe the Dutch international, Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong has stalled.
Joan Laporta has repeatedly stated that De Jong is not for sale, but United reached an agreement with the Catalan giants last week under which they would pay £55million upfront and an additional £17million in add-ons.
The midfielder’s delayed salaries and incentives from Barcelona after agreeing to take a temporary pay cut to assist the club in staying afloat have hindered any prospects of closing the transaction anytime soon.
De Jong’s initial yearly wage was £12million, but he cut it to £9million in the 2020–21 season and earned £4.3million the following year. Barcelona owe the Dutchman £13.7m in basic pay and an additional £3.4m in bonuses as a result of matching terms in his contract.
Erik ten Hag might be worried that he may not be able to sign his top target before the start of the season as he waits to see if Barca would pony up the £17million needed.
A new adventure could be in store for the former Ajax player if Manchester United completes the transfer. He has been a regular for them since his move from Holland but is yet to reach the heights many believed he was destined to be at by now.
The departure of Paul Pogba could be a factor in Manchester United’s excessive interest. Manchester United’s creative midfield will suffer significantly without Pogba, especially with the absence of backup options like Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard, who have also departed.
It is always tough to find a player of Frenkie de Jong’s calibre at a discount, and Barcelona are surely not doing Manchester United any favours. If the current situation doesn’t resolve soon, United could be made to suffer due to no fault of their own.
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The sensible solution for any layman would be that Barca uses the transfer fee Man Utd pay them for de Jong in order to pay off the midfielder’s wages. But when such an amount of money is involved, things are seldom easy.
