After agreeing to a £63 million fee with Manchester United for Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong has taken a direct shot at the club’s board.
The Netherlands international has stated his desire to remain at the Camp Nou, calling Barcelona his “dream club.”
Barcelona, at least publicly, has repeated De Jong’s sentiments, insisting that they want to keep the Dutchman and will not entertain any offers for him.
But, behind the scenes, the Spaniards have been in talks with Manchester United for about six weeks, and the two clubs agreed on a £63 million cost for De Jong last week.
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However, the transfer is far from complete because United must persuade De Jong to relocate to Old Trafford.
Despite their public protestations, Barcelona clearly wants to get rid of the midfielder.
So far this summer, the Catalans have spent roughly £92 million on Robert Lewandowski, Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, and Rafinha.
Despite the club’s dire financial position, which caused Barcelona to urge every first-team player to suspend wage payments throughout the pandemic, this is the club’s most successful season yet.
De Jong was one of several players who agreed to the arrangement, but he is due about £17 million in salaries, which he expects to be paid if he is to join United.
Barcelona, on the other hand, has yet to agree to pay the deferred payments, but the club is still spending heavily in the transfer market, with the club presently pursuing Bernardo Silva and Marcos Alonso.
The drama has been perplexing for De Jong, who believes he is being dragged out of his dream club and is being made to appear as if he is keeping Barcelona hostage while they owe him his money.
And it’s evident from De Jong’s social media activity that he’s dissatisfied, with the Dutchman ‘liking’ a comment on Instagram that said: ‘I despise the way we’ve handled Frenkie’s problem.’
