Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists the club "respect" Frenkie de Jong after Gary Neville urged the midfielder to take legal action against the club.
The Dutchman's future has been a huge talking point this summer, with Manchester United desperate to sign him. However, a £17million debt of unpaid wages owed to De Jong has been an issue as the player, understandably, hopes to recoup those payments. He took a pay cut to help the club during the pandemic.
Barcelona's financial issues are well documented, yet they have spent big to add the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde this window. Neville has called on De Jong to seek legal action against the club as they continue to spend millions on new players - rather than pay him what he is owed.
The pundit tweeted: "De Jong should consider legal action v Barcelona and all players should be behind him! A club spending fortunes on new players whilst not paying the ones they have under contract their full money is immoral and a breach."
Laporta, however, disagrees with Neville's take - instead claiming Barcelona's investment will be advantageous to De Jong. He believes their new recruits can bring them success on the pitch which, as a result, will bolster their finances and aid all of their squad in the long run.
He said in response to CBS Sports : "No answer. I respect his opinion. But in my opinion he's not right because I insist we are respecting all our players. We follow the contracts. If we invest in new players it's to make the club more competitive. It's a circle: You invest in new players, the fans engage and that in turn improves our economy. Gary has been a very good football player for Manchester United. I respect his opinion and that's all I have to say."
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Barcelona have also been accused of extortion by the Dutch players union - another accusation their president dismissed. He claimed: "There is no extortion being used on Frenkie or anyone else. I respect his opinion, but if talks between two parties counts as extortion then I think this guy is wrong."
Laporta has been vocal in wanting to keep De Jong at the club despite a fee for the player being agreed with United. The midfielder has been at the Nou Camp for three years since joining from Ajax.
The Blaugrana supremo declared: "[Frenkie De Jong] is a Barca player. And unless we feel the need or the interest to sell him we won't do it. Frenkie de Jong isn't for sale."
