Barcelona tell De Jong to take €42m pay cut to stay
Robin Bairner
- 25 Jul 2022 14:32 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have told Frenkie de Jong that he will have to reduce his salary by 50% if he wants to stay at the club, according to AS.
De Jong, who is valued at €64 million by FootballTransfers, has been embroiled in a long-running transfer saga with Manchester United that has extended for weeks but has seen little ground made from either side.
Barca, though, have told the Netherlands international that he must either take a giant pay cut of face being shipped out of the club via a transfer.
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President Joan Laporta has made some progress in this regard. Chelsea might have turned down the opportunity to sign him, but a transfer fee has been agreed with Manchester United. The deal has got no further, though.
How big a pay cut will Frenkie de Jong take?
One of the sticking points has been the money that Barcelona owe De Jong over deferred wages, but the Catalans are set to double down on their demands on the former Ajax man if he is to remain at the club. Indeed, Xavi has reportedly told the player that he will have to take a 50% pay cut if he is to remain at Camp Nou.
De Jong is the biggest earner left at Barcelona following a series of pay cuts accepted by senior members of the squad and the offloading of stars such as Philippe Coutinho, who was on a reported €22m a year. It is reported that De Jong earns around €21m per season.
With a contract that runs until 2026, Barca have effectively asked the Netherlands star to forego €42m over the course of the next four years. If his salary was to be reduced to something in the region of €10.5m, he would become a middle-ranking player in the club’s pay structure.
Of course, any new agreement could be heavily laced with bonus payments, so that if the club enjoyed success in La Liga or the Champions League, he might earn close to what he is receiving as basic pay now.
Nevertheless, it is a huge amount to ask him to put on the line.
