Barcelona have offered an ultimatum to midfielder Frenkie de Jong after the club agreed an initial transfer fee with Manchester United for his transfer.
United have agreed an initial fee of £56.2million for the Dutch international, who has already cleared out his locker at Barca with a move to Old Trafford appearing to be edging closer. New United boss Erik ten Hag coached the midfielder at Ajax and held a phone call to convince the player that he should join his project at Old Trafford.
The negotiation process between the clubs has become drawn out over months with the player still on holiday and with his future remaining unclear. However, United have remained confident throughout that they will attain the midfielder – who is so central to Ten Hag’s plans.
Barca have now offered an ultimatum to the player regarding his future, telling him that if he does stay at the Camp Nou next season then he will have to take a pay cut. The details are outlined by a report in Marca, who claim that the Catalan club would need to shell out an eye-watering £34.5million in various payments to the Dutchman next year as stipulated by his contract.
This is based upon De Jong’s wage at the club alongside a series of payments that are owed to the player through amortizations and other clauses that are part of his deal. It is the clearest indicator yet of why Barca have been open to cashing-in on the player this summer and at a value less than what they paid Ajax three years ago for his services.
Barca have been aware that De Jong’s personal preference has always been to stay at the club as he is settled in the city with his family and has enjoyed a prominent role at the club, who have remunerated him handsomely with a key sporting role.
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That is why the role of Ten Hag is key for United, as he has attempted to convince De Jong that he would be the 'conductor of the orchestra' and would be an undisputed starter for his team – a similar role to the one he enjoyed so much in Amsterdam. The role of the new Old Trafford coach is crucial in the transfer becoming a reality.
Despite posturing from the Blaugrana that the player wants to stay at the Camp Nou and that their preference is for him to remain in the squad, the report that they must urge him to reduce his contract if he remains contradicts this public position. Of course, De Jong would be under no obligation to reduce his agreed salary if he does decide to stay at the club.
