Manchester United have received a boost regarding their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong after more Barcelona players have agreed to take wage deferrals.
United, De Jong and Barcelona have been locked in negotiations for months as Erik ten Hag looks to try and reunite with his former Ajax player at Old Trafford. The two clubs agreed terms for the midfielder nearly a month ago now, but since then little progress has been made following a legal complication surrounding money allegedly owed to the Dutch player from the Spanish club.
After the MEN broke the news that United and Juventus agreed a fee in principle for the transfer of Adrien Rabiot, it appeared that the club had begun to look at alternative options for De Jong. However, it is believed that the Reds are still very much interested in pursuing a deal for the 25-year-old and that the club are considering other options just in case the deal cannot be done.
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However, ESPN now report that Barcelona have come to an agreement with more of their players to take wage deferrals in what looks to be encouraging news to United for their pursuit of De Jong. In a club statement, the La Liga side revealed the news over the weekend.
The Catalan side have been scrambling around in a bid to raise funds, and the wage deferral appears to provide them with something of a solution.
In a statement, Barcelona said: "The club's and the players' representatives have reached an agreement in principle that allows an adjustment to salaries for the current season for an amount of €122m fixed remuneration.
"Added to that is the deferral for up to three years of variable remuneration from this season, budgeted at an approximate figure of €50m.
"The agreement is pending ratification in the coming days."
Although the Spanish side claimed that this was an important breakthrough regarding their financial situation publicly – there is little doubt that more wage deferrals will bring a greater monetary strain on the club. The report goes on to suggest that players who have agreed to this deferral will receive 3% interest on the amount they have agreed to defer.
This solution may seem positive at face value for Barcelona, but the club know that in the long-term they are still set to be financially worse off. An easy solution for the Catalan side appears to be standing right in front of them if they can find a way to convince De Jong to move to United and get his wages off their books.
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