Pay less or switch to United! After reaching an agreement on a £55 million transfer fee with Man United, Barcelona “tells Frenkie de Jong to drop his £5 million-a-year earnings or leave,” leaving the choice up to him.
Frenkie de Jong, who is being pursued by Manchester United, “has been ordered to take a big wage cut” if he wants to remain at Barcelona.
De Jong must now determine where his future lies after the two clubs reached an agreement on a transfer fee for the Dutch midfielder, an initial £55 million that may increase to £72 million.
De Jong, 25, is United’s primary transfer target for the summer and he would be reunited with his former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag in Manchester.
Reports in Spain suggest that De Jong would like to remain at the Nou Camp but the club’s perilous financial situation has left the door open for a sale.
United chiefs John Murtough and Richard Arnold traveled to Barcelona on Monday and met Barca sporting director Jordi Cruyff, director of football Mateu Alemany and sports vice-president Rafa Yuste at the Triton Restaurante to thrash out an agreement on the price.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Alemany and Cruyff, as well as Xavi, sat down with De Jong, 25, ahead of his first training session back and explained the situation.
They reportedly told De Jong that if he wishes to stay at Barcelona, he will be required to take a significant cut on his £5m-a-year salary.
Another Mundo report suggested De Jong was ‘displeased’ with the way Barcelona have handled the situation.
